The Extremely Eventful Life of James Sirius Potter
by GossipGirlHere
Summary: So, James Potter is starting Hogwarts, and his whole life really begins. Follow James through his many girlfriends, best friends, and everything in between. Compliant with "When Fate's on Vacation" and "One More Year".
1. The First Train Ride

**A/N: Before we start I just wanted to let you know that this story will take us through at least until **_**Fate's on Vacation**_**, if not further, so enjoy!**

Getting onto the Hogwarts Express was the most exciting experience of my eleven year old life. As my family made their way to the platform we saw Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron, and Rose, and Hugo. I was glad they'd come to see me off, because they were the cousins I was closest to, and being away from my _entire _family was going to be tough. Of course, Victoire was still there, sixth year, and Teddy, but they were always together…it seemed unfair, that Teddy's best friend was there with him, but then I reminded myself that she wasn't for his first year.

"Have a good term, dear," said Mum as she led me to the train.

"Yeah," said Rose, looking excited, "I can't wait till next year when I go!"

"Me neither!" said Al.

"You'd better be in Gryffindor," said Hugo.

"He doesn't _have_ to be," said Rose fairly.

"Yes he does," said Uncle Ron, as Aunt Hermione elbowed him.

"No, you don't," said Dad kindly.

"Yes I do," I said. I didn't want to be the first Potter or Weasley to _not_ be in Gryffindor. "But I'm not worried," and I wasn't, "I'll be a Gryffindor."

"Well, he certainly doesn't lack confidence," said Rose, sarcastically.

"Oh, and you do?" I retorted, "If _anyone _in this family has a huge ego, it's—"

"You," said Rose, Lily, Hugo, Mum, _and_ Dad, all at the same time.

"Hmph," I said, turning away and heading towards the train.

"We love you!" called Mum, and I turned around to call, "Love you to!" before getting on the train.

I lugged my trunk and Lynx, who was in his cage, to an empty compartment about three quarters of the way down the train. I put my trunk above the seats on the rack after I had extracted my exploding snaps, and set Lynx's cage onto the seat opposite me. I was playing by myself when a boy came in. He was tall like me, but had brown hair, and darker brown eyes than mine, which were hazel.

"Can I sit with you?" he asked.

"Sure," I said easily. I already liked him.

"What's that?" he asked, looking at my exploding snaps, as he sat down next to Lynx's cage.

"They're exploding snaps," I said.

"I'm muggle born," he said, "I don't know what that means."

"Oh," I said, before explaining the game.

As we played I discovered that for a muggle born he was extremely good, almost as good as me. Soon I began explaining about other wizarding games, Quiditch, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, and magical pranks.

"I can't _wait_ to try some out!" he said enthusiastically. I _knew _I was going to like this kid! "But I think I'd rather watch Quiditch than play." Well, you can't have everything…

"I'm going to try out for the team," he said, "I want to be a seeker."

"Cool," he said, "I'm sure you're great. You said you play with your family?"

"Yeah. My mum played for the Holyhead Harpies, they're an all female team, before she started writing in the sports column for _The Daily Prophet_ (our newspaper)."

"What's your name?" he asked. I was surprised that I hadn't asked him his, considering we'd been talking for a few hours.

"I'm James, James Potter."

"I'm Steven Heartfield," he said, "Wait…you're Harry Potter's son, aren't you?"

"You've heard of him?" I asked.

"Yeah! I was reading about him in my copy of _A History of Magic_. So that means that Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley are your aunt and uncle, and Ginny Weasley is your mum!"

"Yep," I was used to the excitement surrounding my parents my now.

"Cool," he said, "So, you're uncle owns Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes?"

"Yeah, and to be frank, that's the ancestry I'm the most proud of."

We both laughed and soon began to talk about pranks we could try at school.

**A/N: So there's the first chapter!!! Hope you like it! REVIEW!!! **


	2. The Sorting

When we arrived at school we heard Hagrid calling "First years! First years over 'ere!"

"Hey Hagrid!" I said as we walked up to him, "This is Steven Heartfield."

"Hi James!" said Hagrid happily, "And hello to you Steven!"

"Nice to meet you," said Steven. Unlike most of the other first years, he didn't look even a bit scared of Hagrid, more like fascinated.

We made our way across the lake in the boats slowly. Me and Steven were in a boat with a girl, who said her name was Page Zabini, and my friends Daniel Wood and Robert Finnegan. Daniel was Oliver and Katie Wood's eldest son, and I'd met him a couple of times, and Robert was Seamus and Lavender's son, and we'd met once or twice. When we arrived Professor McGonagall led us into the hall, and we lined up in front of the sorting hat. Many of the kids looked nervous, but I wasn't. I was a Weasley and a Potter through and through, and I wouldn't disappoint. I was a bit nervous because I wanted Steven to be in Gryffindor too. As we all watched, the brim of the sorting hat's mouth opened and it began to sing.

"In olden times, when I was made, at the start of our great school,

Four founders were there, who would offer students their learning tools,

They wanted to create a place for magic to be taught,

But how to divide the students up, was, with many complications fraught.

For each did wish to teach only those that did appeal to them,

So they divided into four houses, and this is what they said:

Gryffindor would take those who were the brave and truest,

Ravenclaw would teach those who's intelligence was surest.

Slytherin would have those who were cunning and by ambition blinded,

And Hufflepuff would teach those were were kind, fair, and open minded.

So now that our great founders are no longer at the school,

I divide you up each year, and follow their rules,

So put me now upon your head, and open up your mind,

And I will tell you where success and comfort you will find!"

The sorting had finished it's song on a long note and applause broke out through the hall.

"That was cool," whispered Steven too me, before turning back to the front as McGonagall said, "Alden, Joyce."

A girl who was small and dark walked over to the stool and sat down in trepidation. The had fell below her ears, and we all waited with baited breath as the hat deliberated. Finally, it opened it's brim wide and said, "Hufflepuff!"

Joyce Alden took off the hat, set it on the stool, and made her way to the Hufflepuff table, which was giving her a standing ovation.

As the rest of the As, Bs, Cs, Ds, Es, Fs (where Robert Finnegan was sorted into Gryffindor), and Gs were sorted Steven began to shift from foot to foot nervously. When McGonagall said, "Heartfield, Steven," he said, "Wish me luck," and walked over to the stool.

The hat went on his head, and rested their for about 15 seconds before it cried, "Gryffindor!". I breathed a sigh of relief as he took off the hat and headed over to the Gryffindor table. I saw Teddy, his Head Boy badge gleaming sitting by Victoire, who's new Head Girl badge gleamed equally brightly, a little ways down the table from Steven.

The rest of the alphabet dwindled by slowly, until McGonagall said, "Potter, James." Most everyone in the hall watched closely as I went to the stool. I supposed that as Harry Potter's son my house was of great interest to everyone. I put the hat on my head and it fell down to my ears, covering my eyes.

_Well, another Weasley, though not in name I see. Well, you're kind and fair, and pretty bright, but without a doubt there is only one place for you..._"Gryffindor!" I took off the hat and smiled smugly and triumphantly as I sat next to Steven. I waved at Teddy and Victoire on my way to my seat, and both were looking pleased.

The one of the last two people was Daniel Wood, who, to my delight, was sorted into Gryffindor. He was an AMAZING flier, and would make a great member of the team. If I made seeker, and he made keeper, there'd be no WAY to stop us from dominating! The last person was Page Zabini, who, to my surprise, was sorted into Ravenclaw. This was odd, because both of her parents were Slytherins, but , I guess, times change.

Once the sorting was over the food appeared, and all other thoughts vanished from my mind. Once the feast was over Teddy and Victoire showed us to our rooms, were we all fell asleep with full stomachs and happy hearts...ready for the first day of mischief to begin.


	3. Christmas Time is Here

The first few months of school passed in a haze of excitement. I was LOVING Hogwarts. All of my friends were the best, but none was as close to me as Steven. Now, we hung out with Robert Finnegan and Daniel Wood, along with Emily Johnson and Leah Day. We pulled some GREAT pranks too, especially for first years, and only Steven helped me with that, he was my best mate by far. The best one was definitely when we locked Mrs. Norris (yes, she's still alive after all these years!) in the kitchens, transformed to look like a fish, and then told the house elves to cook her. Surprisingly, they never linked the crime to us....at least, not in a provable way.

Me and Daniel were both admitted to the Quidditch team, even though we were only first years. I had to thank my dad for that, because if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have even been allowed to try out, but ever since he got on the team in first year the school readjusted their rules. Both Daniel and I followed our dad's footsteps and became seeker and keeper. Robert didn't get to try out, even though he's a good chaser, because none of the spots were open, and Steven, Leah, and Emily don't like flying.

"Prefect Victoire" wasn't bugging me _nearly_ as much as I thought, and I got to see Teddy a few times too, which was always a plus. For a Head Boy he was surprisingly fun, and he always let me and Steven off easy (or rather, with no punishment at all) when he caught us doing stuff.

By the time Christmas rolled around I didn't even _want_ to go home. Things at school were just too exciting. However, mum wanted me to come home, so I would. At least I could pull off some holiday mischief. Steven and I sat together on the train ride back with Daniel and Robert, and when we got off we were met by our enthusiastic parents.

"How was your term?" asked mum, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Good," I said.

"It sounded good," said Uncle George, and before I could ask him why he was there, considering Roxanne and Fred were too young for Hogwarts, he said, "I came to congratulate you in person for some of your best pranks this year. Your father shared the owls with me," he whispered. Dad had been really good about the letters (there were, after all, only two...it would've been three if they'd blamed us for Mrs. Norris...), and he hadn't told mum.

"What pranks?" asked Mum.

"Nothing," I said quickly, before greeting Dad.

"Smooth," he whispered while he gave me a hug.

I elbowed him.

* * *

"So, who are your friends?" asked Grandma as we all sat down to Christmas dinner. Because none of the other kids except Teddy and Victoire were at Hogwarts yet I was the focus of all the attention from my many relatives.

"They're good," I said, "My best friend is a muggle born named Steven. He's really good at Transfigurations, which is good, cause I suck, so we help each other out. I'm better than him at charms, you see."

"It's nice to see you're studying so much," said Aunt Hermione.

"I don't think that _studying _is what those skills are being used for..." said Teddy suggestively.

Grandma's eyes flashed towards me as she said, "You haven't gotten into trouble, have you?"

"Not _too_ much..." I said, hoping she'd let it be.

She didn't.

Thankfully, she was interrupted by Aunt Angelina, who said, "Any girls?"

"No," I said.

"Emily Johnson!" said Teddy, smugly.

"Who's Emily Johnson?" asked Rose curiously.

"No one," I said quickly. Thanks a lot Teddy. "Just a friend. She's in Gryffindor too. She's friends with us, and her best friend, Leah Day, is friends with us too. I'm sure you'd rather hear about Teddy's _girlfriend_, Sarah Mills."

"What girlfriend?" asked Harry.

Teddy glared at me, before answering, "We haven't been dating that long, only about a month. She's a Hufflepuff.

Was I the _only_ person who saw Victoire shifting around in her chair? _Really_ people! It's _so_ obvious! The worst thing was that it was even more obvious back when Victoire was going out with Fredrick Corner...Teddy was so obvious it was painful, and _still_ no one noticed! I must just have an eye for these things.

"That's cool," said Bill, before continuing, "Did you guys hear about Lee Jordan?"

"Yeah!" said George enthusiastically.

Both Teddy and I exchanged thankful glances that the conversation had shifted off of us.

* * *

"Have a good rest of term," said Dad as I got on the train.

"Are you _sure_ you won't come for Easter?" asked Mum.

"Yeah," I said, "I want to spend it with my friends. Steven, Robert, Daniel, Emily, and Leah are all staying too.

"If you're _sure_," said Mum, "But if you change your mind just owl us."

"I will," I promised. I got on the train and found Steven, Robert, Daniel, Emily, and Leah in their compartment. I leaned out the window as the train sped away and called, "Love you!" to my parents, before we were whisked out of sight.

**A/N: This chapter was just a filler, and to introduce all of his friends, but we'll be starting second year next chapter, cause I'm only covering important events (like meeting Scorpius...). REVIEW! PLEASE!**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	4. MADNESS!

The great hall was buzzing with chatter as professor McGonagall read out the name, "Malfoy, Scorpius," and a boy, who was taller than average, with blond hair, and gray eyes, walked up to the stool. If I hadn't know who he was, I'd have said he was a good looking bloke...but I knew who he was. What disturbed me the most was the way Al and Rose were watching him, as if they were praying for him to be sorted in his house of choice, watching with eager, hopeful, eyes. I found out mere moments ago, from Victoire, that they were sitting with him on the train. I couldn't _wait _to write to Dad and Uncle Ron about _this_ development. (Oh, and by the way, didn't I _tell_ you that Teddy and Victoire would get together? Well they did, just like I said. I'm _always_ right about these things!)

The boy sat on the stool, but instead of looking smug as most future Slytherins did, he looked nervous. The hat thought for about thirty seconds before saying, "Ravenclaw!" The entire hall fell silent. Dead silent. No one knew what they had heard, because Draco Malfoy's son _couldn't _be a Ravenclaw. Slowly the Ravenclaws began to clap as a grinning, can you believe it? GRINNING, Scorpius sat down at their table.

I was so lost in thought about this development that I didn't register McGonagall calling, "Potter, Albus," until Steven elbowed me and whispered, "Your brother!"

"Huh, what?" I asked, before noticing Albus. I wasn't really worried about him though, he was a Potter through and through. I'd even saved him a seat, cause he wouldn't want to sit alone. (I was feeling particularly brotherly, in case you hadn't noticed.)

The hat thought for two whole minutes, before shouting "Ravenclaw!". The entire hall was silent. Dead silent. Albus Potter, Harry Potter's f-ing son!, had just been sorted into Ravenclaw. _Ravenclaw_ I tell you! This was madness! First the Malfoy boy, now Albus! Ridiculous.

Albus, however, didn't seem the least bit upset, he grinned, and sat down right next to Malfoy, I'm not even joking! And then, get this, Malfoy clapped him on the back! This. Was. Madness. MADNESS I TELL YOU!

My brain was still comprehending the incomprehensible when I noticed that only Rose was left.

"Weasley, Rose," called McGonagall, and Rose stood up, trembling. She looked terrified. She sat on the stool, and put on the hat, which debated for about a minute before shouting "Ravenclaw!" She beamed, and went to sit between Albus and Scorpius. And then, get this, she hugs them. _Both _of them!

The entire hall is shocked, and no one more so than me. My entire world, and everything that was certain in it, had collapsed. My Potter-Weasley brother was a Ravenclaw! My pre-sworn enemy, son of the enemy of my parents, was a Ravenclaw. My cousin, my Weasley cousin, complete with the famous Weasley outspokenness and temper, was a Ravenclaw. I knew she was smart, but Aunt Hermione was the smartest in her year and even _she_ was a Gryffindor. But this was only half of my reason for being shell-shocked. The other more disturbing thing was the fact that my Weasley cousin, and my Potter-Weasley brother, had both just hugged a Malfoy! They were chatting now like _friends_! Victoire was right! They were _traitors_.

That Malfoy kid wasn't going to live long.


	5. UNBELIEVABLE!

The morning after the sorting I had a game plan. When I arrived in the Great Hall I saw Rose next to the Malfoy boy, and Albus right across from him. I clutched the piece of parchment firmly in my hand, and Lynx in the other, they were my only weapons.

"Mate, you need to calm down," said Steven as we walked towards our table, where Rose and Albus _should've _been sitting.

"How can you ask me to calm down?" I practically shrieked.

"He's just a first year," said Steven, eying Malfoy dubiously, "He can't be that dangerous."

"Not _now_, but if you knew the stories about his parents you wouldn't say so."

"What stories?" he asked as he helped himself to the sausages.

"Well..." and the entire story came out. All the events of my parents', Aunts', and Uncles' childhood came out, and eventually the story of Malfoy Manner.

"Well," said Steven, fairly, "It wasn't this kid, or even his dad, who did those things to your aunt," I glared and was about to retort, before he continued, "I'm not saying they shouldn't be careful, but isn't what you're threatening a bit extreme?"

"No," I said defiantly, "Now excuse me, but I have blackmail to commit," and with that I stood up and walked over to the Ravenclaw table.

"Rose, Albus," I said stiffly, "Could I have a word with you?"

"Sure," said Albus, looking confused as he stood up.

Rose, who looked like she knew what was coming, said to Malfoy, "Go ahead to Transfiguration, Scorpius, we'll meet you there," she pointed at the first class on their newly administered schedules, "This might take a while."

"Okay," said Malfoy, looking nervous, as he should.

I led Al and Rose out into the Entrance Hall, where I said, "What on _earth_ do you think you're doing?"

"Eating breakfast," said Albus.

"I can see that!" I retorted, "But with _whom_? Malfoys are _not_ the company we keep. You should know that. Uncle Ron specifically said--"

But, predictably, by this point Rose's infamous temper was flaring, as she interrupted, "Don't you _dare_ tell me what to do! He doesn't know Scorpius, and neither do you! We met him on the train, he asked to sit in our compartment, and he's very nice! You are blinded by prejudice, that's what you are. It is none of your business who I hang out with! None!"

"Oh, yes it is!" I said, I have quite a temper too, sometimes. "I'm your older cousin, and it's my responsibility--"

Rose actually laughed, as she said, "Responsibility?!? Since _when_ have you cared about responsibility?"

"Since now, and it's my job to protect you from--"

"From what, exactly?" asked Rose, raising her eyebrow, "From an eleven year old? Really?"

"From a Malfoy! If those are the only people you're associating with, then--"

"Who said he was our only new friend?" asked Rose, angrily, "I happen to still be friends with Clarice! You can't object to her, she's Uncle Neville's daughter. And even if Scorpius _was _our only new friend it's none of your business!"

"Oh yes it is! I--"

But this time it was Albus who cut me off, saying, "What are you going to do about this, anyway? We're free to do whatever we want, we don't have to listen to you! You have no leverage."

"As a matter of fact I do," I said smugly, holding up my letter, while Lynx, who sat on my shoulder, fluttered his wings.

"What's that?" asked Rose, wearily.

"A letter to Uncle Ron," I said, triumphant.

Albus' eyes grew wide, but Rose looked unabashed, "So send it," she said, "What's the worst it can do?" It was that smirk, that challenging look from her that made me do it, even though I hadn't intended to before the conversation started. I _hated_ when Rose didn't listen to me.

"Rose..." said Albus warningly, but, too late.

"We'll see the worst it can do," I said, giving the letter to Lynx and letting him loose. Before either could grasp what had happened he had flown out the nearest window.

* * *

The next morning Rose and Al sat with Malfoy _again_, however, I was slightly mollified when Clarice joined them, and started talking with Rose. Then, _it_ arrived. The red envelope I'd been hoping for.

I elbowed Steven and said, "Look! There it is!"

"You still haven't told me _what_ it is!" he said.

"You'll see," I said with an evil grin. Rose saw the envelope, and grabbed it, running out of the hall. The front door could be heard slamming as the explosion started. Steven and I got up and ran towards the Entrance Hall, Albus, Malfoy, and Clarice hot on our heels. We opened the door and found Rose staring in horror at the talking red envelope.

"I _warned_ you!" it screamed, in Uncle Ron's voice, while Albus shut the front door again, "I told you not to get involved with him! They're a bad lot, Rose, don't descend to that level! You _know_ what they did! Being a Ravenclaw was something that your mother and I were so proud of! We got your letter, and knew how smart and talented you were going to be, and then we get a letter from James telling us what is _really _going on! I'm starting to wonder if you're smart enough to be in Ravenclaw!"

Steven was grinning as he whispered, "This is excellent! Hilarious!"

I grinned, because, in all honesty, it was. The point was to get Rose and Al to stop being friends with the Malfoy boy, but this was definitely a plus to the plan. Rose _hated_ getting in trouble, even more than she hated being wrong, or so I thought...

When the letter finished Rose looked at me, and _laughed!_ I tell you, LAUGHED!

Through her giggles, Rose said, "You thought _that_ was going to stop me being friends with Scorpius? _That_? That was a feeble attempt James! I expected better from you. Since _when _have I done something because Dad told me to? I'll show him that Scorpius _is_ a good friend for me and Al." Damn it! There it was! Her wish to be right. She cared more about proving herself right than about breaking a family rule.

Unbelievable.

And then, just like that, the three walk into class, like nothing happened.

UNBELIEVABLE!

**Hey guys!!! SO................................................................................................................................(bet you can guess what's coming, lol)..............................................................................................................REVIEW!!!! (told ya you'd know...)**


	6. Turning into a Sap

I was in a bad mood. A _very_ bad mood. Do you know when the last time was that one of my plans failed? Neither do I! It's _never_ happened before! I decided on a new approach, I was going to _talk_ to this Malfoy kid. Maybe I could bribe him or something...

"Hey! Malfoy!" I called as I saw him leaving the Ravenclaw table with my cousin and brother.

"What?" he asked, turning around and eying me up and down.

"I want to talk to you," I said, privately adding a _Duh_...why _else_ would I call him?

"Okay, talk." This kid's sassy! I do _not_ like getting sass from puny little first years.

"What are you playing at?" I asked. I've learned that open-ended questions are harder to answer in interrogations, cause you have no idea how much the person knows, or what they want you to say. Needless to say, I've been through a _lot_ of interrogations, both at home and Hogwarts.

"What do you mean?" Damn it. Apparently _he'd_ been in enough interrogations to know how to deflect an uncomfortable question with a question.

"I mean, what are you playing at?" I repeated. He wasn't weaseling out of answering.

"I don't know. What _am_ I playing at?" he challenged. I really do _not_ like this kid.

"You tell me. A Malfoy in Ravenclaw, who becomes best friends with Ron and Hermione Weasley's daughter, and Harry and Ginny Potter's son. It seems fishy to me."

"Well, luckily for me, it doesn't _matter _if it seems fishy to you. So, if that's all you had to say," and just like that he turns around and LEAVES!

"We're not finished," I called, and he stopped and turned, wearing a smirk that was possibly more infuriating than Rose's (if that's even possible). "I _know _what you're up to," I said.

"Good, because I certainly don't," he said, that infuriating smirk still playing across his face.

"You may be a Ravenclaw, but you're still a Malfoy, and like all others you are dirty, cheating, pureblood-loving, evil, and conniving, and I'm onto you."

He raised an eyebrow.

"And," I continued, struck with inspiration, "If you don't stay away from Rose and Al I'll let your father know exactly who you're associating with." Just because parents didn't work with Rose didn't mean they wouldn't work with him...Heck, if Draco Malfoy was _my_ dad I'd be scared stiff.

For the first time he looked frighted, but he quickly masked it, saying, "You wouldn't _dare_. You're too scared of him," he had that mocking smirk on again as he continued, "After all, he is a 'dirty, cheating, pureblood-loving, evil, conniving' Malfoy."

"You don't think I would, do you?" I said with a smirk.

"Oh, I _know _you wouldn't." It was that challenge that got to me again...just like with Rose.

"Watch me," I said, leaving the hall and heading off to the owlry.

"Wait!" he called, and I turned around, smirking, "I'm not at all like my grandfather, or the way my father was. I really _like_ your brother and cousin, and I _want_ people to see that I'm not 'just another Malfoy.' I'm actually a decent person. I was _glad_ to be in Ravenclaw and not in Slytherin, cause it proves that I'm different from my entire family. That's something Rose, Al, and I have in common. All three of us have famous families, and while they're trying to live up to expectations, I'm living down my parents' reputations."

I was stunned. Malfoys weren't supposed to make people sympathize with them, nor were they supposed to be similar to Potters and Weasleys.

"Please don't write to my father, he'd be devastated if he knew. I'm going to tell him, but not yet."

I felt bad for the kid, and he had fighting spirit....I'd give him that. Two of the most vital parts of me were fighting as I looked at him. My core wish to protect my family was battling with my well-hidden empathetic nature. Empathy was winning, another first.

"You know what," I said, "We'll give it a trial run. If you're an okay bloke I'll let you hang around. Deal?"

"Deal."

* * *

"You've gone soft!" said Steven, "What _is_ it about this kid? One minute you're on the warpath, and the next it's a 'trial run?'" We were sitting at the lunch table, mere hours after my conversation with Malfoy. I could see him from where I was sitting, talking with Rose and Al at the Ravenclaw table. I wasn't sure if I liked it or not...I definitely didn't_ hate_ it, the way I had, but all the same....

"I have _not_ gone soft," I said in a dignified voice, picking up a piece of bread to dunk into my french-onion soup.

Steven raised an eyebrow.

"Who's gone soft?" asked Leah, as she and Emily sat down.

"James, apparently," said Robert, as he and Daniel joined us.

"In regards to?" asked Emily.

"Nothing," said both Steven and I quickly.

"Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure," said Daniel, smirking, "We all know that the Malfoy kid is driving you insane..."

Steven snickered, and everyone looked at him, except me. Me, I glared.

"What's everyone looking at?" he asked, recovering himself.

"You know something," said Leah. It wasn't a question, it was an assumption.

"Yep," said Steven, picking up his sandwich and taking a bite.

"And you aren't going to tell us, right?" said Daniel.

"No, I'll tell you," he said.

"_Traitor_," I hissed at him.

"They'll find out soon enough," he said. Ugh...I _hated_ when he was right. If Malfoy got to stick around they'd notice I was no longer taking the mickey out of him.

"Fine," I grumbled.

"Well," said Steven to the others, "James is giving Malfoy a 'trial run'" he accented the quotations, "at being Rose and Al's friend."

Emily raised her eyebrows as she said, "I don't see what he did to deserve that."

Well, _I_ certainly wasn't going to tell them his sob story got to me. I decided to go for the 'sympathetic brother' approach, "Well, Al and Rose really like him, enough to disobey Uncle Ron, so he can't be _that_ bad..."

The others all turned back to their lunches, loosing interest. All except Steven and Leah. Steven was giving me the 'we'll talk later' look, and Leah was scrutinizing me, and I was pretty sure she knew what had really happened, but that she wasn't going to tell anyone, in case she was wrong. It made me uncomfortable, the fact that she could read me that easily.

"Well," I said, eager to leave Leah's scrutinizing gaze behind, "I'm going up to the dormitory, I forgot something," and I made my way out of the hall, with no real destination in mind.

At the other side of the hall Al was getting up, and walking over to me.

"Hey," he said, and I stopped on the marble staircase.

"Hey."

"Listen, I wanted to thank you."

"For?" I knew what for, but I wanted him to say it. To admit that without my consent he couldn't be friends with Scorpius--I mean Malfoy. It helped my pride a bit.

"For letting Scorpius be friends with us. He's a good bloke, and I _know _you'll like him." I raised an eyebrow, and he added, "Eventually."

"We'll see how the trial run goes," I said. But I was glad Al was happy.

Great. Now I'm turning into a sap.


	7. I Must Be Out of My Mind

This was bad. This was very bad. This was _very very _bad. I mean BAD! I was starting to like Scorpius--I mean, Malfoy!

At first I just ignored him, talked to Al and Rose like normal, and pretended he didn't exist, but what bugged and intrigued me is that he would make comments about what I said, and some of them not very nice. I wasn't sure if I admired his guts or was insulted by them. Also, the kid was too smart. He was almost as smart as Rose, for Merlin's sake! He was the second best in their year! I liked that about him though, he was at least smart enough for Ravenclaws. Also, he was funny! Not as funny as me, obviously, but who is? Anyway, liking him was _not_ a good thing.

One day, me and Steven were leaving diner when I saw Rose and Al coming in. It was December, and it was going to be time to go home for the holidays soon. Steven was coming which I was really excited about, cause he could meet Mum and Dad. I was just about to go write to them when Rose stopped me.

"Hey James!" she called, "You're writing to your Mum and Dad, right?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Can you tell them to tell Grandma Molly and Grandpa Arthur that Scorpius will be coming too, so to have another room ready?" said Al, "Cause he's going to share with me."

I froze.

"WHAT?" I sputtered finally.

"Scorpius. Is coming. To stay. At the Burrow. For Christmas," said Rose, in an infuriating voice.

I thought for a millisecond, before saying, "Okay," and walking away with Steven, trailing behind me, looking dumbfounded.

"What was _that_?" he said, as we climbed the stairs up to the owlry.

"What?" I said, absently, still thinking. Why was I okay with him staying for Christmas? I couldn't _like_ him, could I? No, of course I couldn't...

"Hello? Earth to James!" said Steven, waving his hand in front of my eyes.

"I must be out of my mind," was all I muttered as a scribbled a line about Scorpius on the end of my letter.

Christmas was going to be quite a to-do that year.


	8. THAT LITTLE RAT!

As I expected, Christmas break started off with a bang. Rose, Al, and Scorpius came off the train to meet the Weasley-Potter Clan, and Uncle Ron pitched a fit. Luckily, Aunt Hermione kept him under control until that evening. He sort of ignored Scorpius, but not really, because he was watching him, Rose, and Al all night, getting angrier and angrier. Soon, it was time for everyone to go to bed, but as we went upstairs I heard Uncle Ron say, "Rose, Al, wait here. I want a word."

I stopped abruptly, and Steven whispered, "What?"

"We have _got_ to hear this," I whispered back. This was _bound_ to get good, and by 'good' I mean ugly. I pulled out the invisibility cloak (which Dad had given to me, but we all had to share, only I was the only one who used it, cause Al's too much of a goody good and Lily isn't even at Hogwarts) and threw it over me and Steven. We crept down the stairs and slipped into the living room right before Aunt Hermione closed it and placed a silencing charm on the door. Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, Dad, Mum, Grandma Molly, and Grandpa Arthur were all in there, surrounding Rose and Al.

"So?" asked Uncle Ron, who was, apparently, leading the line of questioning.

"So what?" challenged Rose, while Al elbowed her and whispered, "Don't make things worse!"

"You know bloody well what!" said Uncle Ron, while Aunt Hermione said, "Ron, language!"

"Rose, Al," said Dad, in a voice much calmer than Uncle Ron's "Please explain what James did not in his letter. _Why_ is Scorpius Malfoy at our house and do his parents know?"

"Well," said Al, "His Mum knows, but I don't think his Dad does, because I'm pretty sure that Mr. Malfoy would be mad."

"You still haven't explained _why_ he's here," said Uncle Ron, looking at Rose in accusation. I wasn't sure if I was worried or excited. Didn't I want Scorpius to disappear? I wasn't so sure. He seemed like a good bloke, I won't lie, but he _was_ a Malfoy, and Malfoys aren't exactly known for their friendships with Potters and Weasleys.

"He's our friend," said Rose, sending Uncle Ron a glare that would make _me_ run for cover.

"_Why_?" asked Uncle Ron, "He's a Malfoy," he said it like it was a curse word, and even _I _was a bit offended. Steven whispered to me, "What _is_ it about this kid that's such a big deal? I know about the family, but _honestly_! He's eleven, and--" "shh!" I said, cause Mum was looking suspiciously towards where we stood, invisible.

"So?" challenged Rose, while Al groaned. He _clearly _didn't like the way Rose was handling this, but wasn't gutsy enough to say anything. Maybe he _was _better off in Ravenclaw...

"So," said Uncle Ron, "He's a conniving, selfish, evil, muggle-born hating, pureblood loving, egocentric, irresponsible--"

"What do you know about anything?" asked Rose. "What do you _really_ know about him other than his surname? NOTHING! He isn't _anything_ like the other Malfoys! He's smart, and funny, and good at Quidditch too! You know that he made the team with me and Al? I bet you didn't. I'm keeper, and he's a beater, and Al's seeker! He's compassionate, and independent, and all _you_ know about him is that he's a Malfoy!" she looked disgusted. I was shocked beyond words.

Apparently so was Uncle Ron. He stood there with his mouth hanging open, and Aunt Hermione took the moment to swoop in and ask some more reasonable questions, "Where did you meet him? _How_ did you meet him?"

"We met on the train," said Rose. I laughed silently. At this point Al might as well not have been there, "He came into our compartment, it was just Al and I, and he asked if he could sit with us, because everywhere else was full, and I said yes--"

Uncle Ron cut her off, saying, "_You_ said yes?"

"Yes," she responded defiantly, "_I_ said yes. I was curious about him, cause of what you said on the platform, but don't worry," she said with her infuriating smirk (God, for an eleven year old she's got a good one! Like Scorpius that way...) "I _have_ beaten him in every test...he's the second best in the year though, right after me."

"Rose, sweetie," said Grandma Molly, "We're just worried about you. Malfoys are generally not good company to keep. Why don't you spend more time with your other friends? You have made other friends, haven't you?"

"Of course I have," Rose replied, in a sweet and innocent voice, that almost fooled me, "Clarice is my best girlfriend, but Scorpius and Al are my _best best_ friends."

Uncle Ron gagged, "_Best _friend?" he sputtered, "Rose Hermione Weasley, where _has _your judgment gone?"

"But Dad," she said, still keeping up the falsely innocent voice, "He really _is_ a good guy. Also, James likes him, so once he cleared it I knew I was using my judgment." THAT LITTLE RAT! SHE JUST FRAMED ME!_ FRAMED _ME!

Uncle Ron's eyes grew wide as he looked at Dad, "Harry, _please_ tell me your other son hasn't been encouraging this madness!"

"I don't know," said Dad, helplessly.

"JAMES," bellowed Uncle Ron, while Aunt Hermione said, "He can't hear you, a silencing charm is on the door."

"Oh, yes he can!" said Mum, and to my horror, she pulled off the invisibility cloak to reveal Steven and I standing there.

"JAMES!" shouted more than one angry adult, before Uncle Ron continued, saying, "What on _earth_ were you thinking? Letting them be friends with a Malfoy! You know better!"

This was the moment of truth. What should I say? Rose sent me a pleading look from across the room, while Al's eyes were begging me. Steven nodded, as I turned to face my relatives.

"Yeah," I said, "I do know better, better than _you_, that is. You lot don't even _know_ him, but _I_ know that you'd like him."

"Well," said Dad, and I was hoping that at least a _bit_ of sanity was about to enter the conversation, "I trust you're judgment," he turned to Al and Rose, "All of you. If you say he's a good bloke, I have to accept that he is. We'll get to know him and see," the last part was somewhat of a threat, and I could tell that Al and Rose saw it as such.

"Well," said Grandpa Arthur, after an uncomfortable silence, "We've got another day tomorrow. Why don't we all go to bed?"

"Yes, alright," said Aunt Hermione, and I was thankful when she took Uncle Ron's hand and led him out of the room, followed closely by Grandma, Grandpa, Al, and Rose.

Steven I turned to face two angry parents, and I wasn't sure if we could get out of this one.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Mum.

"Going to bed," I said quickly, grabbing Steven and heading for the door.

"No," said Dad, almost as if he were resisting the urge to chuckle. It irked me. BIG TIME.

"What is so funny?" I asked as we turned around.

Mum looked over at Dad, who immediately turned somber, as she said, "Are you _sure_ about this Malfoy kid?"

Before I could answer, Steven did, much to my surprise, "I'm sure he's alright Mrs. Potter. I know all that stuff about his family, but he's not a bad bloke. He's a lot different from what you guys would think, I would know, cause I never made assumptions about him that could blind me."

"See?" I said, "He's a good bloke, I promise."

"He'd better be," said Mum, as she and Dad headed for the door, "Or else," and the door closed with a _click_.

**A/N: So, what do you think??? Tell me if you think this wraps up the issue enough, cause I'm planning to skip to the next most important part of his life after this, which involves another year of fast-forwarding. REVIEW!!!**


	9. Walking Away Happy

It was time. Time for the BIGGEST, most IMPORTANT, day of my year. THE day. The day we'd been training nine months for. I'm talking, of course, about the Quidditch final. Gryffindor v. Ravenclaw. The most IMPORTANT game of the year! I refused, point blank, to be beaten by my brother, cousin, and Scorpius (yes, we are now, officially on a permanent first-name basis. Don't mention it, or Steven will take the mickey out of me...again). Playing seeker against my own brother presented advantages and disadvantages. Since I played against him in our backyard almost every day, I _know_ my brother's playing style...........but so does he. Anways...I was pretty high strung the day of the match, but also SUPER excited!!! Unlike actual school work I'm _good _at Quidditch.

"Are you going to actually _eat_ anything?" asked Steven, as I realized that I'd been staring at my cereal bowl for the past ten minutes, thinking over the seriousness of this match, "That is actually the point of breakfast, you know, to _eat_."

I elbowed him, causing him to say, "Ow! No need to hit! You won't play as well if you don't eat."

"What do you know?" I muttered, but took a bite of my cereal none the less, he was, after all, right.

"Oh, look," said Daniel, who had already finished his toast, "Here come the other team."

Sure enough, Rose, Scorpius, Al, and Sydney (who was a first year too, and had managed to beat both Lorcan and Lysander for the only available chaser's spot, proving how amazing she was [cause, believe me, Lorcan and Lysander are the _best _chasers]) were getting up and heading towards the front door. I eyed them warily, and was surprised to see that none of them looked nervous! NONE OF THEM! Unbelievable. They were about to get their asses kicked, and they weren't even nervous. Oh well, we'd fix that.

"They look confident," said Leah.

"They won't be for long," said Daniel, and I grinned.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

"Definitely," said Daniel, and we stood up, getting ready for the most important day of our 12 year old lives.

When we arrived in the changing rooms our captain, Michael McMillan, was giving the usual pre-game pep talk. We took out our robes and started to change, as the rest of the team watched Michael with excitement. Michael was one of the best chaser's that Gryffindor had ever had, and we were all worried about what would happen when he graduated next year. We were determined to take in every bit of his last pep talk.

"Guys," he was saying, until Leanne Finnegan raised her eyebrow, so he amended, "People, we can beat Ravenclaw! No problem! They're one of the lamest teams ever! Who have they got that's better than us? No one! So let's go out there and win this game!"

We all gave a cheer and headed out of the changing rooms.

When we reached the pitch Michael shook hands with Ravenclaw's captain, Charlotte Robinson. Then, the whistle blew, and we were off! I was in the zone. My eyes were scanning the pitch for the snitch. I could _not_ loose this game, and if I wasn't fast, we were going to. Twenty minutes into the game and we were down 140 points. Rose was the best keeper Ravenclaw had ever seen, and she knew it. It was obnoxious, how cocky she was. Scorpius was an _amazing _beater, even though I hated to admit it. He'd hit _me. ME!_ From what I'd heard about my Uncles Fred and George when they were beaters, he was just as good. Al was circling the pitch too, in the opposite direction as me, and we never made eye contact. Ever. Suddenly, with a groan from the Gryffindor crowed we heard the commentator, Stephanie Williams, say, "And first year chaser Sydney Johnson scores again! That's 250-100 to Ravenclaw!" I groaned along with the Gryffindor. I didn't blame Daniel at all. He was nervous, it was true, and he _had_ saved tons of goals, just, not as many as Rose. Then I saw it. The flash of gold that could save the game! But Al had seen it too. We were both racing towards the snitch, which was hovering by the far left goalpost for Ravenclaw. I blocked out all sound. The crowd, the commentator, it was all about me, Al, and the snitch. I was almost there, and then I had it! Ther ein my hand was the snitch!!!

I landed as the team surrounded me. But unlike them, I was not happy. We had tied. TIED! For the first time in Hogwarts' history, as Stephanie was reminding the crowd, there had been a tie. I guess that Al, Rose, Sydney, and Scorpius were a team to be reckoned with. Obviously there were others on the team, but a team where the majority were first years was unprecedented, and they had TIED!

The next thing I registered once the team had released me was Leah, Emily, Robert, and Steven running towards me. With the help of the team they hoisted me onto their shoulders. In spite of myself I was grinning. Tie or no tie I was Gryffindor's hero! When we reached the front doors the crowed set me down, and we moved aside to make way for the cheering Ravenclaws. My jaw dropped. They were supporting Rose on their shoulder's, but that wasn't why I was gaping. They were singing. Not just any song..._the _song. The song that had made my Uncle Ron famous now was sung for Rose. She was beaming, but it wasn't the know-it-all smirk she wore so often. It was a genuine smile. As they reached the doors we could hear, "Weasley can save anything, she never leaves a single ring, that's why Gryffindor's all sing, Weasley is our king!"

I was glad we tied in some ways, as I watched Rose disappear, supported by the crowed, and directly under her, Sydney, Scorpius, and Al. After all, for the firs time in Hogwarts history both teams walked away happy...so I could too. After all, I'd made history, and had a party in the Gryffindor Common Room to look forward too.

* * *

The last match of the year also marked the time when Spring ended and Summer officially began. This was a time where some (like Rose and Scorpius) were studying for exams, but most of us were reveling in the freedom from school. The days slid through June, and finally it was time to leave. As we got on the train Leah, Emily, Robert, Steven, Daniel, and I had a compartment to ourselves. Soon, we began talking about the match again. None of us could resist bringing it up every few minutes. It was a match that would go down in history. The first tie ever. Gryffindor saved by James Sirius Potter...

"I reckon," said Daniel, taking a bite of his cauldron cake, "That you could be Quidditch captain next year, James."

"Really?" I asked. I liked the idea, but it seemed unrealistic. After all, I was only going to be a third year. I said as much, but Leah cut in, saying, "Did you see that match? Well, no, you didn't, but you're catch saved us! You're the best seeker since your dad, and frankly, who else are they going to pick?"

"It'll definitely be you," said Emily before I could argue, in her 'case closed' voice. Rather than arguing I turned to Leah and Robert and said, "You two still going to try out?"

"Definitely," said Robert, grinning, while Leah said, "Yep."

"Wouldn't be awesome if you were all on the team?" said Emily. She, like Steven, loved _watching _Quidditch, but preferred to remain 'safely on the ground' as Emily put it.

"You guys reckon that they've found it yet?" Steven asked me, changing topic abruptly.

I snorted, "They'd have to be idiots _not_ to have found it."

"Found what?" asked Leah.

"Well," said Steven, "We left a gift for the Hogwarts teachers in the staff room. You lot know that they stay about a week after we leave, don't you?"

"How do you know that?" asked Leah.

"Uncle Neville told us," I said.

"I wish you guys wouldn't call him that!" said Emily, while Leah and Steven nodded and Daniel, Robert, and I rolled our eyes. We'd grown up with Uncle Neville, and weren't about to change our habit for their comfort.

"Back to the topic," said Robert, his eyes alight with curiosity, "What did you guys do?"

"Every time they open a drawer or cupboard in the staff room a handful of dung will hit the person who opened the drawer in the face," I sniggered.

"How did you manage that?" asked Emily, her face split between disapproval and curiosity.

"Well, I transfigured an object or more in each drawer or cupboard into dung, and then James cast a charm to make it launch itself at the person who opened the drawer or cupboard."

"Pretty nifty, huh?" I said, "We do make an excellent team, don't we?" More than one person rolled their eyes at my cockiness.

* * *

"How was term?" asked Mum, as I got off the train.

"It was good," I said. Before giving Steven a hug goodbye, as he made his way towards his parents. I waved at Daniel and Robert as they departed, before Leah and Emily hugged me.

"Ready?" asked Mum, looking amused.

I nodded, before questioning, "What?"

She sighed, saying, "It's just that you've got more friends than were in my entire _grade _at Hogwarts.

"Do not," I said, but my argument proved moot as Scorpius waved and called, "Bye James!"

"Bye!" I called.

"It seems like things with Scorpius have worked out," said Mum casually, before smirking at Uncle Ron, who looked ready to vomit. Scorpius had given Al a hug, and then Rose. I inwardly laughed at Uncle Ron's expression, as his daughter approached.

"How was first year?" Dad was asking Al, as they made their way over to us, Lily in tow.

"Amazing!" said Al, and I could tell we should be prepared for an algocentric (isn't that an AMAZING word! I made it up for when Al is being egocentric) car ride home. All the same, I was glad it was summer.

**A/N: So...what did you think? I _know_ you want to tell me!**


	10. No Dealing with Some People

As the time for our return journey to Hogwarts drew nearer the house began to get more and more excited. Lily was bouncing off the walls, excited for it to be her turn to go to Hogwarts, but unhappy, because she couldn't play Quidditch. You see, like me, Lily played seeker, and was excellent at it. The only trouble was, Gryffindor already _had_ an excellent seeker, if I say so my self. It appeared that Hogwarts agreed, because, when the book lists arrived mine contained a special surprise. I had been made Quidditch captain! And only a third year too!

"Congratulations!" said Mum, as Dad said, "Well, I reckon we've got to get you Firebolt now..."

"I want a Firebolt!" said Al.

"Me too!" said Lily.

"You're too young," said Al, causing Lily to pout, "Am not!"

"Wait. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop," said Mum, glaring at Dad, "Now that your father has brought it up I might as well tell you, James, you and Al are getting Firebolts, and so is Rose," before Lily could protest, Mum said, "And no one else is. Understood?"

"Fine," grumbled Lily, heading off to her room to pack.

"Thanks Mum!" said Al, before trotting off to his room.

"Yeah, thanks a bunch," I said, heading up to my room to find Lynx. I wanted to owl at least Steven before I saw them on the train.

* * *

"Quidditch captain...." said Daniel in awe, "Wow." We were all sitting in our compartment on the train, halfway back to Hogwarts.

"I'm so nervous," I said, quietly.

"Why?" asked Steven.

"Cause if we start loosing it'll be all my fault."

"No one ever blamed Michael when Gryffindor lost in the past," said Emily.

"Yeah, but that was Michael," I replied, "He's off to go play for the British national team. He was legendary."

"You will be too," said Leah.

* * *

The first Friday of term started like any other Friday. James was irritable, because getting up had never really been his thing. He wasn't as bad as Rose, but then again, no one was. Steven, Daniel, and Robert were all up a full half hour before he stirred, and then he was grumpy all the way until breakfast.

"You've got to get over this morning thing," said Steven, as he buttered his toast.

"No," I said through my mouth-full of scrambled eggs.

"Eww!" said Leah, as she sat down, "James, I know you aren't a morning person, but really!"

"Yeah, mate," said Daniel, "That was gross. Anyways, you'll have to get over this, if you're going to schedule morning Quidditch practices."

I groaned. He was right, and we both knew it. The team always practiced better at about 6 AM. Michael used to have us meet every day at 6 AM the week before a game, and we'd practice an hour before breakfast.

"Don't you want to be a good captain?" said Steven with a smirk. He was a morning person, and as any non-morning person knows, morning people are extremely irritating and smug in the morning. It just plain sucks.

"Shut up," I grumbled, elbowing him.

"James, Steven" said Emily, "You haven't done anything bad this week, have you?"

"Not especially," I said, "Why?"

"Cause Longbottom is heading this way," she pointed towards the staff table, where Uncle Neville was getting up, and heading towards us."

I racked my brains to remember what I could've done to cause the head of house to descend on me. He was carrying a scroll of parchment, possibly the one that held detention options that Steven and I had _not_ done yet. The list got shorter and shorter each year.

"Hi, Uncle--I mean, Professor Longbottom," I said nervously.

"Hey James," he said, "I've got a list of the hopefuls for the Quidditch team, so you can set up trials whenever."

"Oh, thanks," I said, taking the list, and glancing down it as Uncle Neville walked away. I inwardly laughed at the long list of keepers, because I couldn't see how any of them would be as good as Daniel. Only one chaser had left from last year, so the list of chasers, that was even longer than the keepers list, was even funnier. I wasn't giving up Leanne Finnegan (yes, she _is_ Robert's older sister, she's in 6th year) or Aaron Spinet. They were some of the best chasers _ever_...I was intrigued by Sarah Thomas, Dean's daughter, she could be good...and obviously Robert, and then--I froze. Robert and Leah, two of my best mates, were both going to try for the same chaser spot. This could _not_ be happening.

* * *

I set trials for the very next day, more to get them over with than anything else, and the morning had proved productive and informative. I quickly rooted out all of the keepers, unsurprised that none had been better than Daniel. For the beaters I selected twins, but unlike my Uncles Fred and George, they were girls. They were 6th years, and their names were Morgan and Alison Frebot. They worked very well together as a team, and I was pleased with them, though neither was as good as Michael alone, together they were better than he ever was. Leanne Finnegan and Aaron Spinet returned to the team, having flown exceptionally well, and then it was time to pick...Leah or Robert? There wasn't really much of a choice, Robert was a much better flier, but, Leah was one of my closest friends, honestly much closer to me than Robert, and she had a temper. She wouldn't forgive me if I picked Robert over her. But, I had to do what was best for the team.

All of the hopeful chasers were gathered around me, and Morgan, Alison, and Daniel were all waiting in the background to see who their other teammates would be.

"Right," I said, "A lot of you flew really well, but I've had to choose only three of you. Leanne Finnegan and Aaron Spinet," they beamed, "Welcome back, guys." The crowed that was left all watched me with baited breath, and I was painfully aware of Leah and Robert standing right next to each other. "Um, for the last chaser I've chosen someone who I'm sure will be great, and lead us to a Gryffindor victory...Robert Finnegan." Robert smiled broadly, and walked over to the team, where Leanne gave him a hug, and Daniel clapped him on the back. Immediately the rejected players began shouting in protest, as they had for the beaters and keeper.

"He's in your year! Of course you'd pick your best mate!"

"How much did his sister bribe you to take him?"

"Rubbish!"

Only Leah seemed to have resisted the urge to shout, but with difficulty. She looked normal, but not normal normal...not normal for her, at all. She brushed some of her straight, blond hair behind her ear, in a dignified way, said, "Congratulations Robert!" in a falsely cheery voice, and walked away, tall (or as tall as you can be at 5"2') and proud. I turned to face my team, and they were beaming up at me.

"Amazing job guys," I said, "We'll make one hell of a team. No more ties for the cup this year," they all cheered, and departed as soon as I announced the time for our first practice. That left me free to seek out Leah. I changed out of my Quidditch robes quickly, and then headed towards the lake, one of Leah's favorite places to sulk. When I reached the shore I was unsurprised to see her under a beach tree. She looked just as I'd expected. When Leah was mad or angry she never showed it. She was far too proud for that. She sat, looking as pretty as ever--wait, pretty? My insanity is beside the point right now--and was reading a book. The only noticeable difference was the frostiness that surrounded her like a cloud. Leah never cried, and so there was no point in looking for circles under her eyes. She never liked to show weakness, but was one of the stubbornest people I'd ever met, something I'd always sort of admired in her--no, stop that! Anyone who didn't know her would never know she was angry, they'd just think she wasn't a fun person. Only people who knew her, and got to see the smart, funny, cute, flirty--STOP THAT--the _normal_ parts of her would know something was up.

"Hey," I said, walking over to her.

She didn't even glance up. Her eyes continued moving across the page at a steady pace as she said, "Hello."

"Sooooooo...." this was awkward, "You wanna go in for dinner."

"Not just now," she said, still reading, "But don't let me stop you, go right ahead."

"No, that's alright," I said, "I'll wait."

I sat down, and just looked at her, but was startled when she stood up, her eyes still on the book, "On second thought, I'll go in," and she left, without glancing once at me. She walked at a perfectly normal speed back up to the castle, and I followed at a safe distance behind. I was about to call out to her on the staircase, when Steven called, "James! Come here!" I turned to see my best mate standing at the doorway to the Great Hall. I looked between his expectant face, and Leah's indifferent eyes, still moving across the page of her book as she walked. I turned to Steven and said, "Yeah?"

I walked away from the stairs, because, there was no dealing with some people when they're angry.


	11. Half Truths Rock

It'd been a the weeks since we fought, and Leah still wasn't speaking to me. The funny thing was, she was speaking to everyone, I mean _everyone_ else, including Robert! ROBERT! Robert, the one who stole her spot! (Only, to be honest, he didn't really, cause she's such a poor flier I'd never have taken her, but still, she doesn't know that). Anyhow, I'd decided to ignore it, and I was, mostly.

"Hey, James, are you there?" whispered Steven as he looked for me the Great Hall at 5 AM on the first Monday in October. You might ask: Why would James, who hates mornings with the burning passion of a thousand suns, be up at 5AM on a Monday? Well, the answer is simple, I get up only if there is mischief to be made, and on this dismal morning, there was.

"Yep," I said, pulling off the invisibility cloak, so that he could see me, cause we didn't want anyone to see us setting up. "Get under!" I whispered, and he went under the cloak with me, taking the map from my hand.

"No ones coming," he said, scanning the map, "Everyone looks to be still asleep."

"With good reason," I mumbled.

"You said it yourself, we needed to be here early to set up."

I sighed, he was right..."Come on, let's go," I said, and we hurried into the Great Hall, which, guess what? was empty! I wonder why? Oh, maybe cause it's 5 AM? (if you hadn't already guessed being up at 5 didn't really suite me).

We walked over to the Slytherin table first, and stood on top of it, pulling out of our bags the balloons. They were invisible, thanks to a charm I had cast, and were filled with a potion that Steven had made, which would turn anything it touched, _anything,_ to it's exact opposite on the color wheel. You can see the numerous uses to which this potion could be put, and we were about to test them. We went from table to table, Slytherin, to Hufflepuff, to Ravenclaw, and levitated the balloons over every inch of every bench (there were, needless to say, hundreds if balloons, so we had shrunk them when we put them in our bags, and unshrunk them as we put them up). Every table (except Gryffindor), including the staff had been ballooned, and by the time we were finished it was 6:30, and people were starting to come in. Glad we had worn the invisibility cloak we left the hall, found an empty corridor, took off the cloak, and made our way back into the hall.

We waited until 7:30, when almost all of the school was in the hall, before we acted, one flick of my wand, and every one of the balloons would come crashing down. We ate breakfast as usual with Emily, Leah (who as per usual avoided me), Robert, and Daniel. Then, under the table, while I still was talking to Robert (I'd always been a good multi-tasker) I flicked my wand. Every balloon in the hall crashed down with a bang. Looking around at all the tables I saw every black robe turn white, blonds suddenly have blue hair, Slytherin ties turn Gryffindor red, and, perhaps the funniest thing, Rose jumping up in horror as her curly, nearly waist length hair, turned from vivid red to bright green. The entire hall was in uproar, and the staff was descending down upon the Gryffindors to find out which one of us had done it.

"Potter! Heartfield!" said McGonogall sharply, walking over to me and Steven, who both managed to keep a straight face, which required considerable effort, considering that her deep blue robes had turned yellow, her brown hair had turned greenish, and her pale skin had turned almost black.

"Yes, Professor?" asked Steven.

"What _have_ you two done?" she asked.

"Have we done something?" I asked. See, questions deflect questions.

"What do you call this?" she asked, pointing at her robes.

"Yellow," said Steven. I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh or kick him.

"I can see that it is yellow, Mr. Heartfield, but it _was_ blue! Can you imagine what could have cause this?"

"No, I can't," Steven said.

"And you think it merely coincidence that none of the Gryffindors have suffered this fate?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," I said, "I think that something must be amiss. Personally, I suspect Peeves."

"Potter, Heartfield, this is serious, you will both receive detention after you sort this out," she gestured towards the hall, where teachers were trying and failing to charm the students and themselves back to their normal color.

"I'm afraid I don't know how, Professor," I said, "And I don't see why we should receive detention. What exactly have we done?"

"Are you trying to tell me that you are not responsible for this?" she asked.

"It would appear that that is exactly what I am saying," I said. Half truths rock.

"Minerva," said Uncle Neville, walking up, looking totally normal, "I've discovered how to reverse the potion. If you would send them off to class," he gestured towards the students, "I will spend the day going around and turning them back to normal. I don't teach much today."

"Thank you, Neville," she said, before turning back to us, "Be warned, you two, I can't prove that it was you, but I know that it was, and should something like this happen again I will not wait for proof." She turned to the rest of the hall, and said, "Students, Professor Longbottom will return you all to your normal state, if you would please go to your classes, he will stop by and transform you all back to normal by today's end."

There was a grumble of discontent as everyone left the hall, while the Gryffindors were still rolling around with laughter.

"Guys, that was _brilliant_!" said Robert, as we walked to Transfiguration.

"Thank you, thank you very much," I said, while Steven mock bowed.

"It was hilarious," said Emily.

"So cool," said a voice from behind me. I turned around and saw a Ravenclaw in our year, that a vaguely recognized as being named Mimi.

"Uh, thanks," I said, "But, don't you mind..." I gestured to her white hair, which I guessed must have normally been black, and her blue skin, which suggested that she was normally Asian. Even white and blue, she was rather pretty.

"No," she said, "It was all in good fun, after all," she flashed a smile. I saw Leah directly behind her, looking cold, and I guess all of my bottled up anger came out, because I said, "The first Hogsmead trip is coming up this Saturday, do you want to meet me there?"

"Sure," she said, flashing another smile, though it looked slightly frightening, considering her teeth were black. Oh well, at least they'd be pure white when she was back to normal.

"Excellent," I said, "How about 3 o'clock at The Three Broomsticks."

"Okay," she said, "Bye James," and she walked away towards the charms corridor.

"What was that?" whispered Steven, "Do you even know her?"

"Yeah," I said, "Her name's Mimi, isn't it?"

"You aren't sure, and you're meeting her for a date in Hogsmead?" he asked incredulously.

"Sure, just for fun," I said.

He rolled his eyes, saying, "I suppose it was only a matter of time."

"Until what?" I asked.

"Until you noticed that every girl in this school is mad for you."

I couldn't even deny it. It was true, and I knew it, and now, I was going to use it.

**A/N: So...what did you think? Was the prank good? How do you like Mimi? I thought it was time to bring out the womanizer in James...tell me what you think in a REVIEW!!! (note--all caps generally means important--just saying)**


	12. Hogsmead

**So, here it is! Another chapter! Sorry it's been a while, I've just been busy...you know, winter break and all that. Anyway, ENJOY!!!**

"You sure about this?" asked Steven as we walked towards Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes (which had most conveniently opened up a branch in Hogsmead).

"Definitely," I said, and in truth, I was sure. After all, it was just one date, if I didn't like her there were plenty of other girls. I said as much.

"But," he replied, "It has so much potential for disaster."

"How so?" I asked, "Worse comes to worse I won't like her, and then that'll be it."

"Yeah, but what about Leah?" he asked.

"What about her?" I responded stubbornly, "She's ignored me for the past month, so she _obviously _couldn't care less," of course, I knew that she did care, I wasn't stupid, but all the same, I didn't care that she cared...right?

"Suuuuuuuure..." he said. He gave me a look that told me that he knew that I knew that Leah cared and that he knew that I knew that I was being spiteful, but that also said that he knew that I knew that he knew that he wasn't going to be able to talk any sense into me...if that made any sense to you.

"So," I said, "After this I've got to go meet Mimi at The Three Broomsticks, but how about Honeydukes afterwords?"

"Sure," he said, "I'll bring Daniel and Robert too."

"Cool," I said, as we entered the store.

* * *

"So," I said, as I sat down in the chair opposite of Mimi, "I see that Professor Longbottom got you sorted out." I was referring to the fact that her hair was now jet black, her skin back to it's normal shade, and her teeth now pearly white.

"Oh yes," she said with a smile, "It was a really good potion. Did you do it all by yourself?"

"Nah," I replied, "My friend Steven and I mixed it together."

"Heartfield?" she asked.

"Yeah, we do all sorts of things like that together."

"I've heard all about it," she said, and I smirked. I rather liked being part of the infamous prankster duo at Hogwarts.

We talked for a while over our butterbeers, and I found that she wasn't that bad. She was cute, and funny, and had a good sense of humor at least. I could've done worse after all...

After about an hour I saw Leah and Emily walk in and sit down at the bar. I tried to look interested in whatever Mimi was saying, while carefully focusing my peripheral vision on the bar. I saw Leah and Emily chatting now with a pair of fourth year Hufflepuffs who were both far too good looking for my liking. I wasn't jealous, obviously...James Potter doesn't do jealously; I was just slightly irritated, and that's _totally _different.

I turned my attention back to Mimi, who was saying, "Anyway, I've got to go meet Page, but this was really fun," she smiled, "We should do it again sometime."

"Yeah we should," I said, standing up, and she followed suite.

As we walked over to the door I was caught with sudden inspiration, obviously having absolutely _nothing_ to do with Leah. As Mimi said, "Well, bye James," and was turning around I leaned forward ever so slightly and kissed her. She kissed back for a moment before pulling away, saying, "I'll see you around," and walking out the door with a triumphant smirk.

I turned around, expecting to see an angry and heartbroken Leah, but was faced instead to see no Leah at all. At first I thought she and Emily had left, but then I saw Emily still talking with one of the Hufflepuffs, and Leah and the other no where to be found. I tore out of the store, but they weren't anywhere I could see, and I was prevented from searching by running into Steven, Robert, and Daniel.

"Hey," said Robert, who, as usual, noticed nothing, while Daniel said, "What? Lost her already?" and Steven said, "Looking for Leah?" I elbowed him, and turned to the other two saying, "It was nothing, want to go to Honeydukes now?"

"Sure," said Daniel, and Robert too, dropped the subject of my less than graceful exit from the pub, only Steven, as usual, knew something was up, and gave me a look that plainly said, 'Later you're going to spill it all.'

* * *

"Whoa..." whispered Steven. We were in the Common Room, and a small group of sixth years in the corner was our only company. "Emily told me later that she and the Hufflepuff, who's name is Josh Abrams, in case you wanted to know, are going out now."

"And this concerns me because...? Oh wait, it doesn't," I said.

He raised an eyebrow. I looked away, and found myself noticing for the first time that two other girls from our year were batting their eyelashes at me from across the room. I smirked at them before turning back to Steven, who's eyes were rolling.

"As I said," I said determinedly, "I honestly don't care if she's going out with this Abrams guy."

"Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuure," he said.

Just then Emily and Leah walked in, and came over.

"Hey James, hey Steven," said Emily.

"Hey guys!" said Leah, at the exact same time, and my jaw dropped. That was the first time she'd ever acknowledged the plural where it was just me and someone else. I decided to tread carefully, so as to avoid bodily harm for all involved.

"Sooooooooooooooooo," said, unsure of what to do, I decided to talk to them both as a single body, easier by far, "Did you guys have fun in Hogsmead?"

"Yeah," said Leah, "I met this guy, Josh Abrams, he's a Hufflepuff fourth year, and he's so nice. How was your date?"

I just looked at her, and completely forgot she was waiting for an answer until Steven elbowed me. "It was good," I said quickly, "Mimi's great."

There was an awkward silence, until Steven said, "So Emily, did you do the charms homework yet?"

Emily jumped on the excuse to break the tension, and said, "Oh, yes! But I didn't understand..."

"Hey, can I talk to you?" asked Leah, while Emily and Steven babbled on.

"Sure," I said, and we got up. As we left the Common Room I saw Steven and Emily both sigh in relief.

"Listen, James," said Leah, when we got outside the portrait hole, "I'm sorry I've been ignoring you, it's been awful of me! I feel so terrible about the whole thing! I can't get mad at you because I'm a bad flier! I'm so so so so so sorry! Please forgive me!"

I went into shock. Leah was more stubborn than anyone I'd ever met except for Rose and Scorpius. She rarely said sorry, and when she did, she meant it. "I forgive you," I said, "And I'm sorry too."

"What for?" she asked.

I thought, before saying, "I don't really know, but in my experience that's the best thing to say to a girl when you don't know what to say."

She laughed, and punched my shoulder, "And what do you know about girls?"

I grinned. Everything was finally back to normal.

"So," I said, "Tell me about this Abrams guy."

"Only if you give me all the horrible details about Mimi," she replied cheekily.

"Deal," I said with another grin, and we went back into the Common Room.

**The bar is freely available for those wishing to review (which I hope is everyone)!**


	13. Operation BreakUp

**Hey guys!!! I never actually got to wish you a Happy Holidays...so HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!! Anways...here's another chapter, hope you like it!**

Over the next few weeks my life went into a kind of lulling pattern. Emily was now going out with the OTHER Hufflepuff that they'd met at The Three Broomsticks that day. His name was Aaron Phillips. He was a nice enough bloke in my opinion, a hell of a lot nicer than Abrams anyway...Things with Mimi didn't work out, and the lulling pattern to which I was referring was a steady pattern of dating. I was 'exploring my options', as I said to Steven whenever he poked fun at my love life. Since Mimi and I, for want of a better phrase, 'broke up' (we only 'went out' for like 3 days after Hogsmead, so I don't see how it matters...) I'd gone out with another Ravenclaw in our year, one of the girls who'd been batting her lashes at me in the Common Room the day of the Hogsmead visit, a fourth year Hufflepuff, and one Slytherin, though that didn't go very far. The only person who I'd stuck with for more than 3 days was the other third year Ravenclaw. I didn't feel guilty about any of this. Why should I? I wasn't promising them anything anyway, and I didn't _ever _want to appear dateless while Leah had Abrams....not that I like Leah or anything, cause believe me, I _don't_.

"So," said Steven, as he came up to me in the Common Room one Saturday evening, "How's Charlotte?"

"Who?" I asked vaguely, as I read through my Quidditch magazine.

"The girl you've been snogging for the past six days!" he said incredulously, "You know...Charlotte...the Ravenclaw???"

"Oh, her," I said, still not looking up from my magazine, "We broke up."

"Mate," he said, snatching away my magazine, "I'm tired of having to keep track of which girl you're on. I know you're trying to compensate for your inability to go out with Leah, but all the same--"

"I'm not compensating for anything!" I said defiantly. And even if I was, which I'm not saying I am, I _certainly_ wouldn't tell him! "I'm just--"

"Exploring your options? Yeah yeah, I know," he said with an eye roll. "If you like Leah, just tell her, I bet she'd ditch Abrams for you."

"Listen mate," I said, deciding, for once, to be honest, "Even if she _wasn't _dating Abrams I can't ask her out, cause then we could never be friends ever again."

"Suite yourself," he said, "But please stop with the serial dating."

I merely rolled my eyes and snatched back my magazine.

* * *

I decided to seek parental advice in regards to my newly-admitted feelings towards Leah. I decided to owl my dad the next day, Sunday.

_Hey Dad,_

_Third year's been really great, and I can't wait to see you all at Christmas. I'm writing because I've got a problem that no one can help me with. I won't tell Robert or Daniel, cause they'd laugh, and Steven is just maddeningly unhelpful. There's this girl, and she's my best mate, and I really like her. The problem is, I'm starting to like her a little too much, if you get my drift. I want to ask her out, but I can't, because then we wouldn't be able to be friends anymore, and my life would suck even more! HELP!!!_

_James_

_P.S. Do NOT, under any circumstances, tell Mum. DON'T!_

Satisfied, I went off to the owlry and found Lynx, eating the remnants of a mouse. I called him down, and gave him the letter, hoping I'd get a reply soon.

Later that day, while in the Common Room, Lynx arrived with a letter from Dad. Glad that I was, unusually, alone, I opened it eagerly.

_Hey James,_

_I'm glad you're enjoying third year. This explains what Lily has been telling me about you dating up a storm these last few weeks in her last letter. You aren't going to want to hear this, but someone's got to tell you. You're friendship is doomed. There, I said it. You aren't going to get over her until you try dating her once, and if it works out than you aren't friends anymore, you're more than, and if it doesn't than you won't ever be friends again anyway. Sorry, but that's just the way it is. So, go for it, and I hope it works._

_Love, me._

Well that was just stupid! How helpful was that? NOT VERY!

I was about to stuff the letter away when Steven came up behind me, evidently back from the library, and snatched it out of my hand, saying, "And what do we have here?"

He read it quickly, and I sank lower and lower into my chair as his eyes moved across the page. When he looked up he looked like he was contemplating my dad's words, "You know," he said slowly, "He's right."

"What?" I asked, shocked beyond words. He could _not_ be right.

"He is," said Steven, "I told you before, and now he's told you, so you need to listen to us!" He looked exasperated.

"But--but--she has a boyfriend!" I said. While it was true I was also grasping for an excuse, "B-O-Y-F-R-I-E-N-D!!! BOYFRIEND! I can't just ask her out!"

"Wait until they've broken up, or..." he said with an evil smirk, "Just, _assist _them a bit...." he trailed off suggestively, his smirk growing.

"You are _not_ serious," and for once, it _wasn't _a joke about my middle name.

"Deadly," he said, "Come on!" he looked excited, "We've never attempted something like this before! It's a challenge. She can't know it was up, and it'll be fun. Plus, then nothing stops you from asking her out!"

The idea was getting more and more appealing. After all, I wouldn't have to see her with him any more, which was maddening, and then I'd decided later if I'd ask her out. "Okay," I said, "We need a plan."

"Let Operation Break-Up commence!" he said with the excited/evil smirk that he always wore when planning mischief.

**So, I'd love to hear ideas about what they should do for Operation Break-Up, so tell me!!! I have some ideas, but nothing really exciting or interesting, so I'll need help. Reviews, as always, are encouraged!**


	14. A Plan

**Hey guys!!! Sorry it's been a while, but I've been really busy with exams. Sorry to say it's unlikely that there'll be another chapter until after they're over. Sorry!!! Anyways, enjoy this one!  
**

"It won't work," I said stubbornly, because I _knew_ it wouldn't. Steven and I were sitting in the Common Room late one evening, brainstorming about how to get Leah and Abrams to break up. We had to be very careful about our planning cause if Daniel or Robert found out they'd never let me forget it, and Emily would go straight to Leah.

"Yes, it will," said Steven, "It would TOTALLY work!"

"But it would blow my cover!" I said.

"All the more reason to do it," he replied stubbornly.

"I'm telling you, it won't work! She won't dump him, she'll just punch me, and then, on top of everything else, she'll know I like her!"

"Fine," he grumbled," crossing off _James kisses Leah spontaneously in the middle of the Great Hall_ off of the list he'd made that contained his ideas. "How about this one?" he asked, pointing to one that said, _Make Leah think Abrams is cheating on her_.

"Nah," I said, "that's lying. I'm cool with lying by omission, but I feel bad about lying to her face. What we _really_ need to do is to find out something REALLY bad about him, then tell Emily, and have _her_ tell Leah."

"Why didn't I think of that?" he said.

"Cause we all know I'm the smart one," he rolled his eyes, before saying, "So, how do we find out his dirty secrets, 'Oh Smart One?'"

I hadn't thought of that. "Ummmmm...."

"Well," he said slowly, "I think we should talk to Emily's boyfriend, you know, that Aaron Phillips bloke."

"But, he might not be close enough to know Abram's secrets," I said. From what I could gather, they weren't super close.

"No, but he might know someone who _would_..."

I grinned evilly, matching Steven's perfectly.

* * *

"Hey! Phillips!" I called as I saw him walking down the hallway. Steven and I had managed to corner him as he left his Transfiguration class. For once, Emily wasn't with him, it took us _forever_ to get the bloke alone between Emily and his friends.

"Yeah?" he said, turning around to face us.

"We wanted to talk to you," said Steven, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes...why _else _would we have cornered him in the Transfiguration corridor. I thought it was time a professional took over this operation.

"We wanted to ask you about Josh Abrams," I said. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. I took that as an invitation to continue, saying, "His girlfriend,"

He interrupted, saying, "Leah?"

"Yeah," I replied, "Well, she's one of my best friends, and I realized that I should really get to know her boyfriend, so I was wondering if you know who he hangs out with, so I could get to know him a bit better." I knew I was banking on Phillips to be sort of dim, or at least, naive, but it was worth a shot.

"Well," he said slowly, "I'm not stupid, so I know this has nothing to do with Leah," apparently he _was _stupid, "But if you're trying to dig up dirt on Abrams I won't stop you," the look in his eyes told me they weren't on the best of terms, which worked to my advantage, "His best mate is a Hufflepuff in our year, name John Miller. Talk to him," he began to walk away, before turning around, and saying, "Listen, I know you guys are friends with Emily, so, don't tell her about this. I don't want her to know I'm helping you guys dig up dirt on her best friends boyfriend."

I nodded, as he walked away. The moment he left Steven said, "I don't like him. But," he relented, "He gave us the information we need." I had a feeling I new _exactly_ why Steven didn't like Phillips, but, then again, I had enough problems with _my_ love life, without having to deal with Steven's.

* * *

"Have you got it?" I asked impatiently, as Steven entered the Common Room, late one evening, in mid-November. We'd spent about two weeks trying to talk to the Miller guy, but he wouldn't budge, and we were prepared to take drastic actions.

"It was tough" he said, "But I got it," he held up a tiny bottle of what looked like water, but I knew better.

"_Excellent_!" I said, "We need to handle this before we go home for the holidays, cause we'll need that time to sift through our information."

"Good idea," he said, "So, we'll do it tomorrow."

**The green bar is freely available, so PLEASE tell me what you thought, and what you think they'll find out about Abrams...**


	15. Meeting

**Hey guys!!! This is the meeting with John Miller, and I had some trouble writing it, so it won't be the best chapter ever written, but I think it's okay....**

As it turned out, opportunities to slip Miller the veritaserum were pretty thin on the ground. We only had a limited amount, which Steven refused, point blank, to tell me how exactly he got, so we couldn't waste it, and the guy was always, I mean _always _with Abrams, and on the rare occasions when Abrams was with Leah, Miller was with other Hufflepuffs, or closeted in his common room, which we didn't have the password to. We were getting pretty desperate as the last week before term ended arrived.

"Wait a minute," said Steven slowly, as he looked up from our plan of slipping the veritaserum his goblet at the dinner table, "This is so stupid!"

"What?" I felt rather insulted. I'd spent almost 4 days developing this plan, and he hadn't even really looked at it.

"We don't need to bother with this!" he exclaimed, "We can lure him to the kitchens, and slip it into his drink there!"

I stared blankly at him.

Clearly insulted that I hadn't grasped the brilliance of this plan, which in truth, I hadn't, he said, "Listen, we take one of his books out of his bag when we pass him in the hall. Then, that evening, we see him at the Hufflepuff table, tell him we don't have the book with us, and to meet us in the kitchens, and we'll give it back to him. He meets us there, get's his book back, and we have a drink."

"I like it..." I said, "But we need to be ready with a line of questioning.

* * *

We ended up stealing his Transfiguration textbook on the second to last day of term. We had decided on this textbook because the 4th years had a test the next day. So, we approached him carefully at the Hufflepuff table, making sure the book was well hidden in my bag, so that he wouldn't see it.

"John Miller?" I asked as we approached where he was sitting, next to Abrams.

"Yeah?" he said, turning around.

"Did you lose your Transfiguration textbook?" asked Steven, "Cause we found one with _Miller_ written on the spine, and didn't think that there were any other Millers here."

"Oh," he said, "Yeah, I did. Can I have it back?" he looked around as Abrams said, "I've got to go, almost curfew, see you in a few," and left with a wave.

"Well, we don't have it with us," I said, glad Abrams wouldn't hear this part of our conversation. "Cause, we wanted to keep it safe, and we didn't know if it was yours."

"Oh, well, I've got a test tomorrow, so can you go get it?"

"Well," said Steven, "It's almost curfew, we wouldn't make it in time, but if we wait until all the teachers have gone to bed, say 11 o'clock, we can meet you in the kitchens, cause we don't know where the Hufflepuff Common Room is." That last bit, of course, was a lie. We knew _exactly _where it was, just not how to get in.

"Sure," he said, "I'll see you there," and he got up and left the hall.

* * *

"Hey!" said Steven as we arrived at the doors of the kitchen. He reached forward and tickled the pear, watched by an incredulous Miller, who said, "How did you know about that?"

I shrugged, letting him move past me, before entering the kitchen, and closing the door behind me.

"Can I just have my book?" asked Miller, "I really need to study for my test."

"Sure," said Steven, handing him the book, before turning to the nearest house elf and saying, "And can we get 3 butter beers please?"

"Yes master," said the elf in its high squeaky voice.

"No, that's alright," said Miller, "I've got to go..."

"Come on," I said, "We just want a drink, to, you know, get to know you a bit."

"Well," he trailed off, hungrily eying a tray of pastries that another elf had brought over.

"Here," I said, handing him a bottle of butter beer that I had spiked with the veritaserum and a potion that would make him forget the entire evening, and think we'd given the book to him there at the Hufflepuff table.

He downed the butter beer, and said, "Thanks," before heading towards the door.

"Wait," said Steven, holding up a tray of pastries.

"Well, I'll just sit with you guys for a minute," said Miller, sitting down again and taking a bite of an eclair.

"So," I said, "Your best mate is Josh Abrams?"

"Yep," he said.

"And he's a good bloke?" asked Steven.

"Pretty decent, I'd say," he said, helping himself to biscuits.

"Why is he fighting with Aaron Phillips?" I asked, feeling like there was _bound_ to be something bad stuff mixed up with that.

"Well," he said, his mouth still full, "Phillips reckons he saw Josh cheat on a test, and confronted 'im."

"And did he?" asked Steven eagerly.

"Well, yeah," said Miller, swallowing, and taking a sip of Steven's butter beer, which Steven flinched, and motioned for an elf to bring him a new one, "But, that shouldn't really surprise anyone cause there's this Slytherin in our year, who sells test answers. No one knows how he get 'em," he continued, shoving a whole sugar cookie into his mouth, "But they're always right. Now, Josh buys them, and shares with me, but no body else, cause most Hufflepuffs wouldn't get it, they'd snitch on us. We've got to be careful though, cause if you tell the wrong people the game is up. None of the Ravenclaws'll take 'em, cause they're too smart, but all the Slytherin's in our year are buying 'em, and one or two Gryffindor were, but stopped cause they couldn't afford it anymore."

"Who were the Gryffindors???" I asked quickly.

"Don't know," he said, biting into another eclair.

"Why didn't Phillips tell anyone?" asked Steven.

"Well, he was gonna," continued Miller, his mouth full of chocolate cake, "But Josh has got some dirt on 'im, so now 'e can't talk."

"What was the dirt?" asked Steven excitedly.

I elbowed Steven, and whispered, "_Please_, can we _not_ try and bust up more than one relationship at a time?"

He rolled his eyes, as Miller stood up, saying, "I don't know, he wouldn't say. Anyways, I've gotta go, I've got to study."

"Why do you need to study if you've got these answers?" I asked.

"Well, Josh doesn't buy those, cause he's really good at Transfiguration, and aces the tests without studying anyway, doesn't want to waste the money. Sucks for me though..." he trailed off, before leaving, and closing the door behind him with a snap.

**Did you think that the story was far fetched? I'm curious...so REVIEW!!!**

**XOXO GossipGirlHere  
**


	16. Answers

**Hey guys!!! This is A LOT longer than my usual chapters are, but I hope you enjoy it and don't get board. It covers a lot of stuff. Enjoy!!!**

Steven and I had a compartment to ourselves on the train ride home, because Daniel, Robert, Leah, and Emily were staying at Hogwarts. Steven and I were going back to the Burrow though.

"So, now we know what's wrong with him," I said, "And all we have to do it tell Emily."

"Yeah," said Steven, "Though I reckon that it might cause problems between her and Phillips," I noticed he didn't look so holey unopposed to that.

"How come?" I asked.

"Cause knowing her, which I do, she'll be mad that he didn't tell her about it, cause Leah is her best friend," I resisted, with _great_ difficulty I might add, to make a remark about how _well_ he knows her....but I decided that since he didn't take the mickey out of me about Leah, I'd let his issues with Emily be.

"I guess," I said, "And I do feel kind of bad about it, but--"

"Why do you feel bad?" he asked, "I mean, he did lie."

"By omission," I said, "Need I remind you that we do that all the time? Anyway, why do you care so much?" I couldn't help myself, I _swear_.

"She's one of my best mates," ugh, fine Steven, stay in denial for all I care. I gave it my best go.

* * *

The rest of the ride passed amicable enough, and we arrived at the Burrow by 6 pm. Not even two seconds after we arrived we were assaulted by Grandma Molly's hugs and kisses (and believe me, it _was_ an assault).

"How was your holiday?" she asked as she gave me a big kiss on the cheek.

"Good, Grandma," I said, and then I was pushed to the side as Rose, Al, and Scorpius came in. After them came Dominique, Lily, Hugo, Fred, and Roxanne, and when you figure that all of the other cousins that are too young for Hogwarts are there, you can understand why the disappearance of me and Steven went unnoticed. Except, of course, by dear old Teddy and Victoire, who were _still_ together, and getting pretty serious.

"And where are you to going?" asked Teddy with an evil smirk. He had figured out how to detect signs of mischief, especially when it came to me.

"To send a letter," I said simply.

"To whom?" asked Vic.

"None of your business," I said, and I hurried up the stairs, dragging Steven behind me, painfully aware of my cousin and her boyfriend's eyes on my back.

When we reached the room we would be sharing Steven sat on his bed, while I took to the desk, grabbing parchment and a quill.

Thirty minutes later we had the following letter:

_Dear Emily,_

_We found out something the night before term ended, and we don't know what to do. We thought we'd ask you, cause as guys we aren't afraid to admit we're rubbish at this sort of thing. We were returning John Miller's Transfiguration book to him, when he told us something concerning about Leah's boyfriend, Josh Abrams. Apparently, he'd had a fight with Aaron Phillips because Aaron thought he was cheating, and Miller told us that he was. There's a Slytherin that sells test answers, and Josh buys them. When Aaron found out about the secret cheating network he confronted Josh, which is why they fought. We don't know if we should tell Leah, if someone else should do it, or if she even needs to know. I'm sure you've heard about this from Aaron already, but we wanted to tell you that we know too, so that you can tell us what to do. Have a good holiday, and we'll see you when we get back._

_James & Steven_

We were very pleased with the result and sent it off with Lynx before going down to dinner.

"Where did you two disappear to?" asked Mum as we sat down in the only two remaining seats, across from Teddy and Vic, who, as was more and more usual lately, were being all lovey-dovey in a way that made me sick to my stomach.

"We had to send a letter," said Steven, helping himself to the mashed potatoes that Fred was handing him.

"But you only just left school," said Dad, "What on _earth_ did you need to tell your friends that's new since this morning?"

"Never you mind," I said, this conversation had been about me long enough, "So, Rose, Scorpius, Al, how're you liking second year?"

The conversation left me, something that I was endlessly thankful for, and dinner continued as usual until dessert, when the unthinkable happened. The adults had just pulled out another bottle of champagne, and when Victoire went to take a sip of hers she gasped, and pulled out from between her lips a diamond studded ring. Every single person in the room held their breath, and for a moment I had the idea to say something, but I didn't want to ruin this for Teddy and Victoire, partly because I liked Teddy, and partly because 13 is _far_ to young to die.

"Victoire Weasley," said Teddy, "I've known you my entire life, and since the day you were born you've been my best friend in the whole world. Since then you've become something even more special to me. You're smart and funny, you're gorgeous, and kind, and on top of everything amazing about you, you have a family that took me in when I had none. You really have made a difference in my life, Vic. Will you marry me?"

Predictably, half the women in the room were crying, including Grandma Molly, Aunt Fleur, and Rose. Even Vic looked teary, and unusual thing for her, as she said, "Yes, of course I will," she was beaming as he slid the ring onto her left ring finger and kissed her. The entire room broke out into applause. Immediately every bottle of every type of alcohol in the house was opened, and every type of sweet was served as everyone surrounded the happy couple. I found myself beaming in spite of myself...apparently after the incident with Scorpius I was just going to get more and more sap-like.

Twenty minutes later, and it had been decided that the wedding would be in a year and a half...the summer after my fourth year, and everyone was jabbering, and trying to get Teddy or Vic to listen to their ideas. No one was in bed until far past midnight that evening, but that meant that we all could sleep late the next day, which we were thankful for.

* * *

The next day Steven and I got up at around noon, to find Lynx waiting by the window with Emily's letter. We both rushed forward and untied it quickly, opening it so fiercely that we ripped part of it.

_Hey Guys!  
_

_I hadn't heard about that. I'll ask Aaron about it, but he's away right now, and so is Josh, so it's just us four here. When term starts again we'll deal with it. This really worries me though...I don't know why Aaron didn't tell me. He isn't buying those answers...is he? I'll deal with this when everyone gets back to school. Do NOT do anything! ANYTHING! Understood? Let me deal with this one. Happy Christmas!_

_All my love,_

_Emily_

"Well," I said, slightly disappointed, "I guess that's that. We can't wrap it up until after break," I started to get dressed when I noticed that Steven looked much happier than I did. He had that smug smirk on his face that he got when he was pleased with the way his plans were going.

"What?" he asked, as I looked at him, "I just think that things are turning out rather well..." and he set the letter down and left for the bathroom without another word.

* * *

I'd never been more glad that vacation was ending, and by the time we arrived at Hogwarts I was practically gleeful.

I rushed to the Gryffindor Common Room, Steven behind me, muttering darkly, "This better be finished up soon, cause running around after you, watching you deal with your hormonal issues is getting to be a bit of a drag. I spared him a glare before nearly shouting, "HIPPOGRIFF!" at the Fat Lady, and was shocked when she didn't open.

"Hippogriff," she said in a dignified voice, "Is no longer the password. And, may I ask you to _please_ not shout?"

I glared, turning around to see Steven face to face with Emily, who said, "I know the password, but I think we should talk somewhere more private."

"Definitely," he said, and we moved around a corner and behind a tapestry that concealed a secret passage.

"So," said Emily, she took a deep breath, and she definitely didn't look her best.

"Yes?" I prompted.

"Aaron and I broke up."

Steven's eyes widened, but he didn't look at all happy, like I thought he would.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because he knew that Leah was my best friend, _and_ that her boyfriend was cheating on tests, and he didn't tell me! There needs to be trust in a relationship for it to work!" she looked livid, "I had to find out second hand from you guys! And, that might not have been enough to break us up, but then he didn't see the problem with it, didn't apologize, didn't even try to justify it!" she took a deep breath and said, "But that's beside the point. What are we going to do about telling Leah?"

"So," I said, "You think we _should_ tell her?"

"Yes," she said, "She deserves to know. I don't think you lot should tell her though, or she'll feel like we all knew before her. I think I should."

"Fine by me," I said, at the same time that Steven said, "When are you going to do it?"

"I think now," she said, "Before dinner. She's coming back from Hagrid's now, so if you too get lost I can meet her."

"Fine," I said, and we all left the tapestry. Emily stayed outside by the Fat Lady's portrait, and we went in.

"Invisibility cloak?" Steven asked.

"Upstairs," I replied, racing up to get it. I came back down about two minutes later, and we sneaked out of the Common Room while Hugo was leaving it. When we got outside we saw Emily sitting against a wall. Apparently Leah hadn't come back yet.

A few minutes later Leah came up to the portrait, and Emily stood up, saying, "Hey Leah, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," she said, looking slightly weary, as Emily pulled her aside and into the tapestry we'd been talking in before. Quickly Steven and I pulled out our extendable ears and stuck them under the tapestry and into the secret passage.

"I've got to tell you something," Emily was saying, "And it might make you mad."

"Okay," said Leah, wearier still.

"I found out from Aaron," interesting way to phrase it, but I wasn't going to argue, "that Josh is cheating on his tests."

Silence. Apparently Leah had gone into shock.

"Leah? You okay?"

"How did Aaron know?" she asked quietly, "And why did he tell you now?"

"Well," said Emily, and I prayed she wouldn't say something stupid, "There's this network of cheating in their year; a Slytherin sells the answers, and Josh buys them. And--" she took a deep breath, "I broke up with Aaron, because he didn't tell me."

"Em, I'm sorry," said Leah, "I--I need to talk to Josh. I want some answers, and not the kind he pays for," she added darkly.

"Okay," said Emily, pulling the tapestry aside. Steven and I rushed full speed to the portrait hole, and were lucky enough to catch a seventh year leaving. We ran in and pulled the cloak off as we raced to some chairs in the corner. We'd barely gotten there when Emily came in.

"How'd it go?" Steven asked as she came up to us.

"As well as it could've," she said, "She's gone to go talk to him."

"Good," I said. I exchanged a glance with Steven and he shook his head a millimeter to the right, and a millimeter to the left, to answer my unspoken question. Apparently he wasn't game for following Leah, but maybe that was a bit too personal. I guess we'd just have to wait.

* * *

Waiting didn't last as long as I thought it would. Leah came back into the Common Room teary eyed, and Emily rushed over to her. They went up to the dormitory, and after that there was no point in hanging around. Steven and I went down to dinner.

"I'm glad it's over," I said, "I'm glad we did it, cause everyone's better off, but I didn't expect it to be nearly this dramatic."

"I know," said Steven, "We managed to kill two relationships in the course of a month. Not bad for a first time."

"Not bad at all."

**So, I know that was long, but thanks for reading all the way to the end. The business with Leah will be wrapping itself up in the next two chapters, but then be prepared for a HUGE skip in time. The story is meant to cover the events in James' life that shaped who he was, and while this did, not everything in his life shaped his character obviously, so be ready for some jumping around in time during the chapters after the Leah business is over. So, drop me a review, and tell me what you thought.**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	17. Choking on Air

**Hey guys!!! This one isn't as long as the last, but I think it's good. My last exam is tomorrow, so look forward to some updates this weekend, now that I'll have time to write them! Enjoy!!!  
**

Once the debacle between Leah, Emily, Aaron, and Josh was over normality returned pretty quickly. Emily didn't seem at all upset about the end of her relationship with Aaron. The first day and a half she was a little down, but after that she seemed to have decided she was better off without the lying git, something Steven seemed to agree with strongly. Leah was still down for a few weeks after Em had gotten over it, but she was getting back to normal.

Steven and I were in the Common Room one evening in February doing our Transfiguration homework, about a month after all the breakups, when he looked up and said, totally randomly, "So, when are you planning to ask Leah out?"

I choked. On air. I did not understand where on _earth_ he got the assumption that I would ask Leah out, "Why," I sputtered, "Would I _ever_ do that?"

He looked insulted, "So we went through all that trouble and gained _nothing_?"

"I wouldn't say 'nothing,'" I replied, "I don't have to watch her with him, or hear her talk about him."

"Yeah," he said, "But what happens when another guy comes along? We can't just keep doing this, partly because it's impractical, and partly because it'll get a bit dull."

I raised an eyebrow, before trying a new tactic, "Why don't you ask Em out then?"

"Excuse me?" he said, but I noticed a faint blush on his cheeks, "Why would I do that?" I raised an eyebrow, and he continued in a dignified voice, "Em and I are _purely_ platonic."

"Then why do you get that little smirk when you say her name?" I challenged.

"I do not!" he said, "Anyway, we're talking about your love life, not mine. You know I'm right! You'll be so much happier if you just do it!"

"I guess..." I said. In truth it was killing me, but my dad's words still rung in my head..._your friendship is doomed_. I wouldn't let that happen.........right?

"Hello?" Steven was waving his hand in front of my face.

"Oh," I started, realizing that I'd been staring at the ground for about two minutes, "What?"

"I asked if you were going to do it now or tomorrow!" he said exasperatedly.

I choked. On air. Again. "Why do I have to do it _now_?" I asked. The prospect was truly frightening, "Or ever, for that matter?"

"Why is it," he asked, "That you can ask out any girl in the school without so much as a butterfly, but then Leah...." he trailed off suggestively.

"Because I _know_ Leah, and like her separate and apart from romantic feelings."

"I guess....." he said, "Still, you should do it."

"Should not!"

"Should to!"

"Should not!"

"Should to!"

"He should what?" Robert and Daniel had just walked up from behind us, taking seats.

"He should do his Transfiguration homework," Steven said wildly.

"Well, you're right," said Daniel, "He should. It's due tomorrow, and in my experience 15 inch essays don't just write themselves."

"15 inch!!!" said Robert, "I thought she said _5_!!!" All three of us rolled our eyes as Steven and I picked up our books again, and Daniel got out his Potions, Robert running up to the dormitory.

"Should not," I whispered to Steven, who glared.

* * *

As the weeks flew by I was thinking more and more about my conversation with Steven, the letter from my dad, and the entire situation, weighing the positives and negatives to asking her out, and mulling over the consequences of it.

Positives:

1. I'd know exactly how she felt about me

2. Steven would stop bugging me about it whenever possible

3. IF (key word being 'if') she said yes I'd be the happiest guy at Hogwarts

Negatives:

1. She could say no--which would kill me

2. If she says no Steven wouldn't let my jump off the astronomy tower

3. It'd ruin the friendship if she said no or if we broke up

4. Everyone would know I liked her--talk about embarrassing

Despite the fact that my 'Negatives' list was getting longer my gut feeling (which told me to do it) became more prominent.

* * *

Finally, during the third week of February, I decided I'd do it, because there was a Hogsmead trip that weekend, and I didn't want to give her the chance to get friendly with any more fourth years. I left the Common Room before I could change my mind, and set off towards the owlry, where she'd gone to send a letter to her mum and dad. As I climbed the stairs I became more and more nervous, and when I reached the door I stopped, taking a deep breath. I opened it up, to see Leah's back. She was tying her letter to her barn owl, and I waited until she'd finished. She walked over to the window and sent it off. When she turned around she jumped a bit when she saw me.

"What are you doing up here?" she asked, walking towards me.

"I wanted to talk to you," I said.

"Okay," she said.

"You know that there's a Hogsmead visit this weekend?" I said. She nodded slowly, so I continued, "Well, would you go with me?"

**Cliff hanger!!! I'm so evil...so, tell me what you think/want her to say!!! How'd you like the chapter??? Why not tell me in a REVIEW?**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	18. My Brain Just Imploded

**Hey guys!!! This one is REALLY short, but I hope you like it!!!**

"Like, as a date?" she asked slowly.

"Well...yeah," I said. She eyed me carefully, and it wasn't the first time that I thought she could see right through me...

"No," she said. My brain imploded.

"What?" I sputtered, my disbelief must have been showing on my face.

She smiled sadly, saying, "Must be the first time huh?"

"Why not?" I asked, ignoring her question.

"Because I know you," she said, "And I know that you're the last thing that would be good for me." I was about to argue, but she continued, "And don't even _try_ to argue about it. I chased you for months, and through some luck it helped me find a boyfriend I really liked. Then you did your best to ruin it, and don't try to deny it, I'm not stupid," I felt pretty ashamed at this point as she continued, "And, if you'd asked me that for the last Hogsmead trip I'd have said 'yes' in a heartbeat, but after the way you've been since then I know I'll be one of many. You'll get bored of me, and then that'll be it. You aren't the type to have a steady girlfriend. You might have liked me, but after a while it wasn't me you were interested in, it was proving you could get me. I'm sorry...." and she walked out the of the owlry without a backward glance.

I stood there in shock. No one had ever, I mean _ever_ said 'no' to me! EVER! Even though I'd been worried, I realized that I'd never _really _believed she'd say 'no'. She was wrong. She _had_ to be! I'd prove it! She'd wish she'd gone out with me. She'd hurt my pride, and there was no going back now.

* * *

When I returned to the Common Room Em and Leah weren't there, and I had the painful feeling that Leah was telling Emily all about what had just happened. I hoped she wouldn't mention it to me at least. I was fuming when I found Steven and sat down next to him.

"I take it it didn't go too well?" he said.

"No," I muttered.

"Sorry mate," he said, "But at least now it's out in the open."

"Yeah," I said, "I'm better off without her anyway..." Steven didn't respond directly, but I could _swear_ I heard him mumble something about "pride's been injured..."

I elbowed him.

"Mate," he said bracingly, clapping me on the shoulder, "There are other girls at Hogwarts, ones that you haven't dated yet might be hard to find, but..." he trailed off jokingly and I felt a bit better. Steven was absolutely right, there _were _other girls, _lots_ of them, and I was positive that none of them would be stupid enough to reject me.

Sure enough, by the next day I had a date for the Hogsmead weekend, and I hoped I'd see Leah there, just to prove her wrong.

**So we are about to make another magical jump in time...so tell me what you thought!!!**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	19. Summer Lovin'

**Just to catch everyone up we're about to skip to the summer before his fourth year, so about six months. This one is, again, pretty short, but I actually like it, and I hope you do too...Enjoy!!!!!**

I loved summer. A lot. Steven had gone home to his house, and his absence had taken its toll on me, but as a whole my summer had been shaping up quite nicely.

Al and Rose had come home without Scorpius, but he joined us by July. We didn't stay at the Burrow during the summer, but we might as well have, considering that we spent every day there. Well, _most _of us did. I was proud to say that I was _not_ spending my summer cooped up with my relatives. Just because Steven wasn't around didn't mean there weren't other things I could distract myself with. Not only was Ottery St. Catchpole only about a half hour walk from the Burrow, it was also full of muggle girls who found my 'magic tricks' simply marvelous. Obviously, I couldn't use magic outside of school, but the products from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes usually did the trick. Needless to say, I spent most of the summer 'exploring my options.'

About midway through August I had just come home when I heard Mum and Dad talking in the kitchen...I don't know what made me think it was important, but I somehow knew that it was. Pulling out my extendable ears, I crouched by the door and slid the pinkish thread under the crack. Mum and Dad's voices came out the other end clear as day.

"Harry, I'm worried about him," Mum was saying, "He's got a different girl every day since he's arrived, and Lily told me that he's had one since February."

"Ginny," Dad was saying, "I don't think there's anything to be worried about. It's a phase, and he'l

l grow out of it."

"Will you just talk to him, _please_?"

"Yeah, I'll do it now, I heard him come in." I could hear my Dad walking towards the door, so I raced quietly up the stairs and into my room. I stuffed the extendable ears under my pillow as I got on the bed and pulled out a Quidditch magazine. No sooner had I done this than Dad walked in.

"Hey," he said, coming in, "Where'd you go today?"

"Just down to Ottery St. Catchpole," I said.

"Meet anyone interesting?" he asked.

"Well, no one in particular..."I wasn't lying, per say, I was omitting the truth...I _had_ met a girl named Anya, but she hadn't been _interesting_, to use Dad's phrasing.

"Listen," he said, and clearly he'd decided to stop with his failing attempts at subtlety. "Your mum's worried about you."

I raised an eyebrow. I knew what he was going to say, obviously, but I was going to wait for him to say it.

"Don't you think that you're moving through girls a bit fast, James? Lily told us in her letters that you've had a different girl every week since February, and I know you've had a different one every _day _all summer. I didn't even know Ottery St. Catchpole _had_ that many girls your age!"

"So, what's your point?" I asked.

"My point is that you've got to understand the importance of a real relationship. One that lasts longer than six days. I'm not saying everyone you date has to stick around for years, but this has got to stop. What are you even thinking? Did things not work out with Leah?"

"What does this have to do with Leah?" I asked, but I gave myself away by blushing, "I'm exploring my options."

"James" he said threateningly.

I sighed, figuring that I'd have to talk to him, "Well, things _didn't _work out with Leah...I guess I got a bit carried away..."

"And you'll stop?"

I nodded.

"Good," he said, "I'm not asking you to stop dating, I'm asking you to know more about each girl than her name."

"Yeah," I replied.

"Goodnight James," he said, closing the door.

**Told ya it was short. I want to know if I captured their relationship in the right way (Harry and James'), so let me know. Look forward to meeting Marissa next chapter (for those of you who read "One More Year" and know what that means...everyone else just get excited!)**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	20. Dangerous Business

**I am SO SORRY for the huge delay on this chapter. First I had a bit of writers block, and then when I really got going our power was out for three days straight. We have a well, so not only did we not have electricity, heat, or internet, we also lost all water. I spent most of my time out in the two and a half feet of snow collecting firewood (our ONLY heat source) or filling buckets with snow to flush our toilets with. Anways, too much info, I get it, sorry, just had to rant for a minute. Another magical time jump!!! Enjoy!**

Fourth year was no where _near_ as exciting as third year was, but, in a way, it was a nice change. Steven and I had pulled off some _amazing _pranks though, so it wasn't _too_ boring. My favorite by far had been when, just before midterms, we'd charmed all the textbooks in the school to have blank pages. The teachers and students had a fit, and spent three whole days trying to reverse the charm, which, of course, they couldn't (we charmed them so that only one of us could take the charm off. Clever, huh?). It wasn't until Rose turned up with Scorpius and Albus at her heels, saying that she'd jinx us into oblivion if she failed her exams because of us, that we unwiped the pages. We had no doubt that Rose _would_ jinx us into oblivion, and for a third year she was pretty good at jinxes.

Taking Dad's advice (I know, a first for me, I'll admit) I was actually dating girls for extended periods (well...as extended as it gets at 14), and I discovered that I liked 'serious'(ish) dating even more than 'serial dating' (yes, I later admitted to Steven that that was what it was...wish I hadn't though, the smirk wouldn't come off him for _days_). This isn't to say that I was ever without a girl (cause, believe me, I wasn't), but they were around a bit longer. I dated girls for anytime from two weeks to two months (though I'd never crossed _that _line, at least, not yet). A month before fourth year ended I was coming out of a 3 week relationship with a third year Ravenclaw. I got back to the Common Room that night feeling exhausted. It's a lot of work to break up with a girl, you know.

"Hey," said Steven as I slumped into my chair, "How's Susan?"

"I dumped her," I said. I was _exhausted_. Usually it's pretty tiring to break up with a girl, but Susan actually _cried_, and I am _not_ good with criers.

"Why?" he asked.

"I was bored of her." I said. I knew it sounded bad, but what else could I say? It happens to everyone. She just wasn't interesting me anymore.

"Oh, okay," he'd gotten used to my mediocre excuses for break-ups.

"How's Adelle?" I asked. Adelle Greengrass was the Slytherin in our year (Scorpius' mother's brother's daughter, so his cousin) that Steven had been dating for the past three months. I liked her a lot, considering she was a Slytherin and all. She was actually a decent person, super smart and cunning, and she was pretty cool when it came to pranks. You should've seen Emily's face when she found out though--honestly, those two should've gotten together _ages_ ago, but I'd just about decided that they never would.

"She's great," he said, "Her birthday's coming up in about a week, May 1st, and I have no idea what to get her..." Needless to say much of the evening was spent listening to Steven mutter to himself about possible gift choices.

* * *

I was walking out of the Great Hall on May 1st feeling rather bitter. Steven was with Adelle for the rest of the evening, Robert and Daniel had disappeared, and Emily was with Leah, so I had, officially, no one to hang out with. I was contemplating getting out my Firebolt and going for a fly when I bumped right into a blond Hufflepuff on the stairs.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said.

I looked her up and down for a second. It'd been a week since I'd had a girlfriend, and I liked the look of this one. She was tall, but not taller than me, her blond hair suited her well, her blue eyes fitted the rest of her face, and from the one thing she said she sounded polite and nice, but with a sassy edge to her voice that intrigued me.

"No problem," I said, "Mostly my fault anyway. I'm James, James Potter."

She smiled, "I'm Marissa, Marissa Roberts. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," I said.

She laughed, "Are your pick-up lines always that cheesy?"

"Why don't you find out?" I said, "The last Hogsmead trip of the year's tomorrow..."

"If you're asking me," she said, "Than, I'm saying yes."

"And if I'm not asking you?" I challenged. I liked her already.

She shrugged, "Your loss," and she began to descend the stairs again.

"So," I said, turning, back, and she turned as well, "The Three Broomsticks, noon?"

"I'll be there," she said with a smirk.

* * *

The next morning I arrived in the Common Room to find Steven already waiting for me.

"Why are you up so early?" I asked him.

"I couldn't sleep well last night," he replied. He'd arrived after I'd fallen asleep, I'd assumed because he and Adelle had been having so much fun.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Adelle and I had a fight," he said, looking more depressed than I'd seen him in a while.

"What about?" I asked.

"Well, I went to give her her birthday present and we were going to take a walk by the lake. We were supposed to meet by the front doors but she wasn't there, so I went down to the Slytherin Common Room, and she was leaving it when I arrived, and she was crying. I asked her what was wrong and she started screaming at me and throwing things," I looked at him in horror. _This_ was why I _never_ had really serious girlfriends...dating is a dangerous business. "Finally I got it out of her that someone told her they had seen me kissing Emily," I was satisfied to see him blush.

"And did you?" I asked quickly.

"What--NO!" he said, getting redder still, "Em? No..."

"Did she say who'd told her?" I asked, moving on from the Emily topic.

"No, she wouldn't. So then she said she'd never speak to me again, and stormed back into the Common Room. I stood outside for about three hours, before her best friend, Penny, came out and said that she wouldn't come to talk to me no matter how long I stayed out there. I didn't even leave then though, and it wasn't until her older brother, Mathew Greengrass, you know, the seventh year, came out and told me to clear off, so I did. He's a pretty scary bloke, even if he is Scorpius' cousin..."

"I'm sorry mate," I said.

"I'll get over it, eventually," he said, before asking, "So, who's your next victim?"

"Excuse me?" I asked, though I had an idea where this was heading.

"Well, you've broken up with Susan, so, who's your date to Hogsmead?"

"Marissa Roberts," I said, "The Hufflepuff."

"Didn't you go out with her last year?" he asked.

"No," I said, "I went out with Marissa Franklin, the Ravenclaw."

"Oh, well, excuse me," he said, putting on a mock offended face, "I don't see how I'm expected to keep track of your many many girlfriends."

I elbowed him and said, "Ready to go down? I don't have to meet Marissa until noon, so if we grab Robert and Daniel we can hit Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes."

"Sounds good to me," he said.

* * *

I arrived in The Three Broomsticks three minutes before noon and grabbed two butter beers before heading to a table. I sat down, and at _exactly_ 12 o'clock Marissa walked in. She was wearing a green, formfitting, v-neck shirt with a pair jeans and a pair of green two-inch heels. She sat down at the table with a smirk and said, "Hey."

"Hey," I said, "Decided to show up?"

"I had nothing better to do," she said with a shrug.

I could already tell that she wasn't the normal type of girl, and I liked it.

**I hope you liked this chapter! I have an idea for you all that I'm looking for feedback on. I want to write a version of _Romeo and Juliet_ for Rose and Scorpius (I know it's been done, but still) with my own little twist. What do you think? Good idea or a suckish one? Would you all read it??? As always, I appreciate feedback on my chapters.**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	21. Being Single was Just Too Much Fun!

**Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Not a lot of dialog or time passes during it...most of it is his reflections, but I think it's pretty good. ENJOY!!!**

At the start of the summer holidays all of us Weasley kids went off to the Burrow as usual, but, unfortunately, Steven was going to Scotland with his family, so I was stuck with my insane relatives. Teddy and Victoire's wedding was taking place on the Friday before we returned to school, and between Grandma Molly, Aunt Fleur, and Victoire there wasn't a moment's peace. I was trying to get away from the high activity of the Burrow as much as possible, something that's far easier said than done. Last summer, when I was single, I could go out and grab a girl, but suddenly I was faced with the dilemma of having nothing to do when Marissa was busy. Part of the reason it was easy to stay in the relationship for what was going on four months was that I hardly had to see her, so when I did I was eager. It's hard to get board of a girl when you only see her maybe once a week. However, I did _not_ want to have to go back to Hogwarts for my fifth year still in a relationship.

The night before Teddy and Victoire's wedding there was a big family dinner and everyone was having a laugh before Uncle Bill stood up to make the toast of the evening.

"To Teddy and Victoire, who, starting tomorrow, will no longer be my Victoire," he said, raising his glass, "Congratulations you two, we always knew you'd get there, long before you did" Several people laughed at that before everyone drank, and Victoire, for once, was _not_ worrying about flowers or the cake or the shoes or the bridesmaid dresses. She was actually enjoying herself, and in spite of myself, I was touched when watching her and Teddy. They looked so happy, something I still couldn't quite figure out, considering that Teddy was about to trade away his single days for married life at age 21. As cute as it was I was starting to think I'd _never_ get married. I'd never met a girl I wanted to keep around that long.

"So, Teddy," said Fred, and we all knew that he was about to do something either very funny or very stupid (possibly and probably both), just judging on the tone of his voice, "How much did Uncle Bill pay you to marry old Vic here?"

To my, and possibly everyone's, Teddy and Vic _laughed_..._both _of them! Then Teddy whispered something in Vic's ear and they laughed _more_. It was unbelievable. Vic didn't usually take snide remarks or sass from any of her cousins, but today she was just going to let it go? Well, I decided right then and there that getting married changed people _far_ to much for their own good.

* * *

The morning of the wedding was the most hectic morning of my 15 year old life by far. Everyone was running around acting like chickens with their heads chopped off. My mum and Aunt Hermione were in charge of getting all of us kids dressed, which meant large amounts of robe-tugging and hair-combing for all involved. As Mum was trying to get my hair to lie flat, something that _never_ happened, I looked at the clock on the wall (the normal one) and realized that Marissa was due to arrive any minute. She was my date to the wedding, you see.

"Mum," I said, "I've got to go, Marissa will be arriving soon."

"Oh," said Mum, "Well, come straight back," but I was already out the door. _Anything _to escape the horror that consumed all the boys inside (girls didn't actually consider it a horror, something that puzzled me to no end). There was a crack, and Marissa and her dad arrived (he'd taken her by side-along-apperation). I said a brief hello to her father before he again disapperated.

"Hey you," said Marissa once he'd gone giving me a light kiss.

"Hey," I said, "Thanks for coming today, it's a madhouse."

"I had nothing better to do," she said with a shrug. That'd become her line, and at first it was really cute, but now it was just plain annoying. Even when you were talking about something serious she'd say it, and it was just degrading.

"We need to talk," I said, leading her into the garden. We could see the white tent , but sat down at a far distance from it, so as not to be overheard.

"You breaking up with me?" she asked, looking horrified and offended all in one.

"Yeah--wait, what?" I stuttered, "How'd you know?"

"Boyfriends only ever say 'We need to talk' when they're about to break up with you," she said, still with accusation in her voice.

"Well," I said, a little unsure of how to proceed. I'd broken up with girls before, but never after such a long relationship (because I'd never _had_ a relationship last this long), and never when they knew it was coming. "I just think that it's not working."

"Wait," she said, looking angry as hell, "You just asked me to this wedding to break up with me!?!"

"No," I said quickly, "I asked you because I wanted you to be there, but I just think that now we need a break!"

"You, James Potter, have a lot of nerve," she said, standing up, "And someday you'll regret it," and then, you'd never believe it, she slapped me! She stormed out, and while I felt a certain amount of guilt I can't say I was sorry.

I made my way over to the marquee and took my seat with the rest of the family.

"Where's Marissa?" asked Al, the only person who paid enough attention to notice she wasn't there, "I'll explain later," I said quietly, because the music was starting.

Vic looked really pretty, which is quite a compliment from me. Her dress fit her just the right way, and she was positively glowing, the eighth of a veela becoming more prominent than usual. Behind her was Dominique, carrying her train, and glowing almost as brightly in her pale blue bridesmaid gown. The vows were said, and _that_'s when the party really started. There was dancing and food and plenty of drinks to be had. I was dancing with Clarice Longbottom, Rose's best friend, for a while, before switching over to some of Vic and Dominique's veela cousins on Aunt Fleur's side. I noticed with a grin and a wink at Al, who laughed as well, that Scorpius, who'd been dragged here by Rose and Al, was dancing with Rose. The party was, overall a success, and not once did I regret breaking it off with Marissa. Being single was just too much fun!

**So...I hoped you liked the chapter. I know that there was a lot of Teddy and Victoire in this one, but I've always LOVED them, so I couldn't help myself. I hope you liked her reaction and everything. Look forward to starting fifth year next chapter!**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	22. An Awful, Brilliant Idea

**I'm so sorry about the long delay!!! I really had trouble writing this chapter, but I know the next one will come a lot faster! Thanks for all the patience! Enjoy!!!**

Boarding the train back to school was the most refreshing experience I'd had in a while. I wasn't "taken" anymore, and found myself for the first time in months free to flirt with other girls! It was revolutionary...

Steven and I grabbed a compartment, and on the way caught sight of a gorgeous girl. I recognized her as a Ravenclaw in our year, but apparently she'd gotten 10 times prettier over the summer. She was tall, with jet black hair and blue eyes, wearing killer heels, tight jeans, and a low cut, blue v-neck.

"You go on without me," I said to Steven as she approached.

"Here we go again..." he muttered, before saying, "Don't be too long."

"I won't," I said with confidence, "It's never taken too long before."

He rolled his eyes at what he considered over confidence, before continuing down the corridor, leaving me alone when the girl arrived.

"Hey," I said, flashing a smirk.

"Hello," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm James, James Potter," I said extending my hand.

"Page Zabini," she said with a smirk of her own, taking my hand.

"Well, Page," I said, "What do you say to a date?"

"Hm," she replied, "I don't think so. I don't go for easy guys," she smirked.

"Good thing I'm not easy."

"You look it to me."

"Whatever you wanna believe," I said, turning, "It's your loss anyway." And with that I walked down the corridor without a backward glance. When I arrived in the compartment I sat down opposite Steven, thinking over my encounter with Page. It'd been a while since I'd had to work to get a girl to go out with me. Marissa might have been witty, but she was ready to go out the moment I asked. But, after months of being "taken" I was up for the challenge.

"So," said Steven, "When're you meeting her?"

"I'm not yet," I replied.

"Yet?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"Yet," I confirmed, sitting back and waiting for the trolley.

* * *

About an hour later the trolley arrived, and I went out to buy our sweets.

"Can I have 2 licorice wands and 4 cauldron cakes?" I asked the woman.

"Of course, dearie," she said, handing me the sweets. I was about to return to the compartment when I saw Marissa approaching the trolley. She looked, as usual, gorgeous, and I was struck with an awful, brilliant idea. I walked over to her, looking very suave, if I do say so myself.

"Hey Marissa," I said.

"Hi," she said, avoiding eye contact.

"Listen," I said, "I think maybe I was too quick to ditch you before, I really miss you. You wanna try again?"

She eyed me up and down before saying, "Only because I'm bored."

"Excellent," I said, taking her hand and leading her back to our compartment. When we arrived Steven gave me a look that said, "Oh no you didn't...." I smirked at him, before taking a seat, pulling Marissa down next to me.

By the end of the four hours remaining in our train ride I was reminded of why I broke up with Marissa. She was annoying as hell. Period. But, if that's the price I had to pay, one day putting up with Marissa, I thought I could take it.

* * *

When we arrived in the Great Hall I brought Marissa over to the Gryffindor table for dinner. Em, Robert, and Daniel all gave me a weird look, and I could here Steven explaining to them in hushed tones my situation. When he finished talking both Daniel and Robert returned to eating, but I saw Em and Steven both glaring daggers at me. I was jolted out of these observations when I realized that Marissa was saying something to me, and I hurriedly pretended to listen.

"So, what do you think?" she asked.

"I think it's a fabulous idea," I said.

"Perfect," she said, "Because--" at that point I noticed Page looking at us from the Ravenclaw table, and I didn't know if she'd look again, so, without speaking, I leaned forward and kissed Marissa. Here first reaction was shock, but then she began to kiss back. By the time we broke apart Page was, as I'd hoped, steaming with jealously. It was emanating off of her in waves that could probably be felt on the seventh floor.

"Well," I said to Marissa, "I'm off to bed, but I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Yes," she said, beaming, before standing up and walking over to her friends at the Hufflepuff table. I stood up and began to leave the hall, noticing with satisfaction that Page was following me.

When we got to the stairs she was level with me, as she said, "So, that's your girlfriend?" she asked, nonchalantly.

"Yeah," I replied, "Unless, of course, you want to take up the job. My offer still stands...."

"Well," she said, pretending to think, "You _looked_ like a pretty good kisser..."

"Why don't you find out?" I asked, leaning in and kissing her. We didn't break apart until something hard hit my back. I turned around and saw Marissa, holding one of her shoes, the other lying on the floor where it fell after ricocheting off of my back.

"James Potter you complete ASS!" she screamed, "You said you wanted us to try again! You bastard! All you really wanted to do was to make this bitch JEALOUS?!?!? You have a lot of nerve, James Potter! I can NOT believe I fell for this!"

"It's not your fault," said Page, "We can't all be attractive enough to date James, or smart enough to realize when we're played."

"Page," I said, feeling that that last comment was a bit out of line, "Can you give us a minute? I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure," she said, giving me a peck on the lips, glaring at Marissa, and departing.

"Listen, Marissa," I said, "I know that--"

"No, YOU listen!" she screamed, "I can't believe you're such a bastard! I hope you rot in hell!" and with that she stormed away.

**As I said, this was a really hard chapter for me to write, so it took a while, but I hope you liked it. The next one will hopefully be up a lot sooner. PLEASE drop me a review.**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	23. Stupid Steven

**Hey guys!!! This is a short one, and there isn't a ton of 'action', it's really just Steven/James dialog, and then James thinking. Still, hope you enjoy it!**

I got back to The Gryffindor Common Room about ten minutes later, weary of what Steven and Em might say when I came in.

"Toadstool," I said to the Fat Lady, who replied, "Go on in," before swinging open. The Common Room was full of students all getting settled and caught up with their friends before the start of term tomorrow. I found Steven in an armchair by the fire, and, to my surprise, alone. I sat down, and hoped that he wasn't going to bring up Page and Marissa, but, no surprise, he did.

"James," he said, giving me a look.

"Yeah?" I asked, as nonchalant as possible.

"What the _hell_ are you playing at?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well," said Steven, "If you hadn't noticed you just used Marissa to get another girl to go out with you!"

"So?"I asked defiantly.

"So, James, this has got to stop. At least you used to have a little respect for the people you dated. All of last year you had steady girlfriends, and you actually cared about them. I don't know what happened to you. It's like you've gone back to third year, only worse! We're not thirteen anymore James! Girls are going to care a lot more about you, and I'd like to think that you had more respect for them. That was just cruel, and you know it! I can't _believe_ you would sink that low, just to get a girl to go out with you!"

I stared. Steven had _never_ lectured me about girls. Ever. I knew he was glad when the serial dating stopped at the beginning of fourth year, but I didn't know he'd care this much. Suddenly a thought struck me.

"This is because of Em, isn't it?"

"What does Em have to do with anything?" he asked, looking confused.

"Em put you up to this, didn't she?" I accused, "You wouldn't have minded, but the moment dear _Emily_ said something you _had_ to go in and lecture me!"

"James, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. You can't--"

"Don't lie, Steven, I saw you two at dinner. You wouldn't have minded until Em did. I don't know why you bothered though, because she's going out with that Slytherin bloke anyway. We all know you've been mad about her for years."

I was satisfied when Steven looked around the Common Room, nervously, but it was far to noisy for anyone to have heard.

"It's got nothing to do with that!" he said, "Even if I did like Em, which I _don't_, I wouldn't have talked to you unless I was really worried."

I raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more. He stood up.

"I'm going to bed. Just, think about it, okay?"

Without waiting for an answer he went up to the dormitory.

* * *

I did think about it. Not necessarily on _purpose_, but some of the things Steven said got to me. Was that really all he thought of me? Was he right? I was awake a long time after everyone else had gone to bed, thinking about myself. If _Steven_, STEVEN, who, no offense, had a pretty weak moral center, was disgusted with me, something must be wrong, right? My head was hurting by the time I fell asleep in that same armchair by the fire. Stupid Steven makes me feel like a bad person...

**Told you it was short! REVIEWS, as usual, are appreciated.**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	24. OWL Depression

**Hey Guys! We're starting off the day after last chapter, but halfway through we're gonna have another magical time jump, so be ready! So, here it is, "OWL Depression"!**

When I woke up the next morning, still in that armchair, I looked around to see a completely empty Common Room. I looked at the clock on the wall: 6 AM. What an ungodly hour to wake up. I stood up, stretched, and went up to my dormitory to shower and change, careful not to wake any of the guys. I went down to breakfast at around 7, because I had nothing better to do, and on the way ran into Page.

"Hey James," she said.

"Listen," I said. Steven really had gotten to me, and I was feeling like a real git at the moment, "I'm sorry about this, but I just don't think it'll work between us."

"What?" she asked, before getting angry, saying, "It's because of that Marissa, isn't it? ISN'T IT? She got to you, didn't she? And now you're just going to leave me and go crawling back to her?"

"No," I said calmly, "I'm not 'crawling back' to anyone. I just don't think this'll work out."

"Fine," she said, turning away, "It's your loss anyway."

I felt marginally better about myself after that, and enjoyed a lengthy breakfast while waiting for Steven. When he arrived and sat across from me he said, "Listen, mate, I'm sorry about last night, but I had to get that off my chest."

"No," I said, "I'm sorry. I was a real git, to you, to Marissa, to everyone. I really am sorry."

"So am I," he said.

"I saw Page," said Em, sitting down next to Steven. She had long since ditched Leah too, after a fight they had during the Christmas holidays of fourth year. Now Leah was with such a different and unkind crowd of students that it was hard to believe she'd _ever_ been our friend. They weren't bad kids, just not the kids we _ever_ hung out with. "She didn't look too happy..."

"Yeah," I said, "I'm not seeing her anymore."

"Great," said Em, and a knowing look passed between her and Steven, and I still couldn't shake off the suspicion that she'd put him up to the whole thing.

"Well," said Steven, "Now that that's over the rest of this year's going to seem pretty tame, isn't it?"

"I guess so," I said.

"I wouldn't," said Em, "My seventh year cousin said that fifth year is the hardest ever, and just about everyone suffers from OWL Depression at one point or another."

"OWL Depression?" asked Steven, looking weary.

"Where you're so nervous and frantic about your exams that you sink into an awful depression, hardly eating and sleeping, only studying."

"Please," I snorted, reaching for the jam, "I do _not_ believe in 'OWL Depression'."

* * *

Yep. I got OWL Depression. I didn't at first. Em was the first to go down, and then Steven. Daniel went after him, and Robert and I were getting a little freaked out, I won't deny it. After all, they weren't e_ating_. Maybe it's just my love of food, but I can't imagine a scenario in which you wouldn't eat! All they were doing was studying, it was sick, let me tell you. Then I just _had_ to go and get it too, before Robert even! It was about two weeks before exams, and I just had a complete panic. Really, can you believe it? _Me_! By the night before our first exam, Transfiguration, we were all under the influence of the depression.

"Guys!" called Daniel desperately from under his pile of books at about 7 the night before the exam, "What's the counter charm for color change? I can't find it anywhere!"

"We have to know counter charms too?!?" asked Robert's disembodied voice across the table from Daniel, "I haven't been studying those!"

"You idiot," said Em from behind her book in her armchair by the fire, "What, did you think that in real life we'd only ever have to change a color once? Really? What happens when I get bored of red nails, and want them back to normal?"

"Honestly," said Steven, "I always thought it was a dumb spell to begin with. Why the hell would I want to make my socks change color?" He was currently practicing on a sock.

"Will _somebody_ just tell me the charm?" asked Daniel impatiently.

"_Recoloromous_," I said, because clearly no one else was going to answer.

"Thanks!" called Daniel from behind his extensive notes.

We all went to bed early that night, but none of us could sleep, and by the next day we were frantic.

"I can't do this," said Em as we stood up from breakfast, "I just can't!" She looked ready to burst into tears.

"Yes you can," said Steven, "You know more than any of us, and we're all still going to pass. You'll do fine. More than fine, you'll be superb."

"You think?" she asked.

"Would I tell you a lie?" he asked playfully, "Now come on, we've gotta get out of here so that they can move in the desks." And indeed, McGonogall was shooing us out of the hall so that they could get it ready for the written portion of the test.

"Ready to take the most important tests of our lives?" asked Robert.

"Not at all," said Daniel, "Let's go."

**So, we'll see the results, and oh so much more as sixth year starts next chapter. A lot of you have been wondering if I'll include "When Fate's on Vacation" and I've decided not to, but to definitely include other things in his life from that time, because, let's be honest, his life doesn't revolve around Rose, Scorpius, Albus, and Clarice. See you soon, and mind the review bar!**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	25. Bloody Hell

**Hey! So, a lot happens in this chapter, and in not so long an amount of time...sexual tensions are rising is all I'm gonna say.**

"James!" came the voice of my mum from downstairs, sounding frantic. It was two weeks after the summer holidays had started, and I was woken up by Mum's voice drifting up the stairs.

"What?" I grumbled, looking up towards the clock: 10 AM. Great. What on _earth_ possessed her to wake me up at this hour? I might not be as bad as Rose about mornings, but you'd think she'd cut me some slack at the start of the holidays.

"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER!" You'd be wrong. I sat up as she came up the stairs, holding a large envelope.

"What's that?" I asked anxiously, suddenly feeling much more awake.

"What do you think it is?" she asked impatiently, throwing it to me, "Open it!"

With slightly trembling hands I ripped open the envelope and read:

_Ordinary Wizarding Level_

_James Sirius Potter has achieved:_

_Astronomy: A_

_Care of Magical Creatures: E_

_Charms: O  
_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts: O_

_Herbology: E  
_

_History of Magic: P_

_Potions: A_

_Transfiguration: E_

"Bloody Hell," I whispered as I read through the grades several times, trying to process them. During my career advice meeting with Uncle Neville, I'd discussed with him the fact that I wanted to become a Gringotts curse breaker like my Uncle Bill_, _and he'd told me that I'd need top grades in Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts if I wanted to proceed. I got those! It took me a minute to realize that I actually got them. Two O's. TWO! That's even more than Dad, and he took down Voldemort! I felt lightheaded.

"Well?" It was only when Mum spoke that I remembered that she was still standing at the foot of my bed, looking nervous.

"Excellent," I said breaking out into a grin, "Really excellent. Look!" I showed her the parchment, and she beamed.

"I _knew _you were this smart!" she said, before continuing in a sterner tone, "Image how much _better_ you'd have done if you'd spent more time studying and less on creating mischief..."

"Yeah," I said, "But where's the fun in that?" I was pleased to see a small smile appear on her face.

"Well," she said, handing me back my scores, "I'm off to make breakfast. What do you say to bacon and eggs?"

"Sounds great," I said, "I'll be down in a minute, I'll just write to Steven, Em, Daniel, and Robert first."

"Alright, but be quick about it," she said, closing the door with a snap.

* * *

When I returned from breakfast I found Lynx waiting with my letters, one from all four of my friends. I opened Steven's first.

_Hey mate,_

_Those look great! Here are mine:_

_Astronomy: A_

_Care of Magical Creatures: A_

_Charms: E_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts: O_

_Herbology: E_

_History of Magic: P_

_Potions: E_

_Transfiguration: O_

_Do you think these'll be good enough for me to be an auror? I hope so. I wrote to Em to ask about her scores and to tell her mine. I hope she writes back soon, I really want her to get the scores to be a healer. I bet she will, but still. See you back at school!_

_Steven_

I grinned. His scores were definitely good enough to be an auror, and I knew he'd be top at Transfiguration. I also found his worry over Em's scores funny, and I couldn't help but smirk as I turned to her letter.

_Hey James,_

_I'm glad you got the scores to be a curse breaker. These are mine:_

_Astronomy: E_

_Care of Magical Creatures: E_

_Charms: O_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts: E  
_

_Herbology: O_

_History of Magic: A_

_Potions: O_

_Transfiguration: E_

_I think they'll let me be a healer with these, don't you? I do hope so....I've seen Steven's scores, and written him with mine. They're quite good, aren't they? I'm glad he gets to be an auror. You can be a curse breaker too! We'll all get to do exactly what we want, thank God it's over though. See you when school starts!_

_Lots of Love,_

_Em_

I grinned even more at her marks, and her mention of Steven, before turning to Daniel and Robert's letters. They both got the scores to go into their chosen careers. Daniel wanted to play keeper with Puddlemere United, his dad's old team, so his scores didn't matter as much, but he still did really well, and Robert got what he needed to become a member of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. I felt a lot happier knowing we could all start 6th year on the right foot.

* * *

"Hey guys!" said Em as she entered our compartment. It was just me and Steven, because Daniel and Robert had opted for their own compartment. "Good Holiday?" she asked, sitting next to Steven, partly because Lynx's cage was on the seat next to me and partly, I was convinced, for other reasons...

"Great," said Steven, "We were in Scotland with family for a while, which was nice, and then I just sort of relaxed. You?"

"Fabulous," she said with a grin, "My Mum and Dad took Erin and I to Italy for a month," Erin was Emily's sister, "and it was amazing. How was your break, James?" she asked.

"Not so bad," I said, "I got to play a ton of Quidditch, which was nice. Speaking of, we've got an amazing team lined up for this year, and will _definitely_ thrash Ravenclaw."

"Totally," said Steven, "We've got you as seeker, Hugo and Fred as our beaters, Daniel as keeper, and Robert, Roxanne, and Peter as chasers. There's no _way_ we can loose!" Peter was Dean Thomas' son, and a third year, like Roxanne and Fred.

"Agreed," I said.

"Before you guys go on a Quidditch tirade," said Emily, "What classes are you all taking this year?"

"Well," said Steven, "I'm taking Herbology, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I think they'll let me in to all of them..."

"They will," she assured him, "I'm taking the same. You, James?"

"I'm taking the same, minus potions, plus Care of Magical Creatures."

"That makes sense," said Steven, "You'll need to know as much as possible about the dragons if you ever decide to retire from curse breaking and work at the bank. Plus, you don't really need potions to be a curse breaker."

"My thinking exactly," I said with a smug smile, that vanished when Steven kicked me from the other side of the car.

* * *

The rest of the ride passed amicably, and then we were there...Hogwarts. We got off the train and headed into the a carriage, where we were joined by Robert and Daniel.

"Hey guys," said Robert, "Good holiday?"

"Yeah," I said. "You?"

"Yep," they chorused in unison, before Daniel continued, "Can you guys wait until the first match of the season? With a team like this we'll win for sure!" Robert and I jumped on a chance to discuss our Quidditch prospects, but I saw out of the corner of my eye Steven whispering something into Em's ear as she was rolling her eyes that made her giggle.

**So, I hope you liked it! We're getting close to "When Fate's on Vacation" which I will be doing a chapter to cover, so be excited! (for those of you that haven't read it, please do...) It won't be the next chapter, but possibly the one after, I'm still shifting things around a bit in terms of order. Tell me what you thought!**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	26. There's No Way It'll Happen Today

**Hey Guys!!! Two things; 1st: I thought I put this in, but apparently it didn't save, thank God I got a review that pointed it out...On James' OWL results he was supposed to have an E in Ancient Runes, but somehow that didn't get saved into the chapter that I put online, but just keep that in mind, because that is a requirement for being a curse breaker. 2nd thing: Enjoy!  
**

Term started off beautifully, with all of us getting into our chosen classes. Em was, as usual, excited about learning new things, while Steven and I were absorbed in new prank ideas. Because of this, we both found ourselves out on the grounds one Saturday morning in October, setting up our latest prank. Sydney had been made captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team this year, because the old captain had graduated, and they were going to have a practice that morning. Steven and I just couldn't pass up on the chance to: A. Make their practice go badly and B. See Rose blame Scorpius for what was about to happen. Lately they'd been doing a lot more competitive bickering than usual. They'd _always_ been competitive, but lately it'd gotten much worse. Plus, they were shouting at each other a lot more than usual, and I wasn't the only one who was convinced that they liked each other. Anyway, we got out to the pitch, I was carrying my Firebolt, and moved towards the goalposts that Rose practiced on. Then Steven handed me the bag. The bag contained a powder that I was going to spread all along the goalposts. It contained a bit of hair from Rose and Scorpius (do _not_ ask how I got that...), so that when either of them touched the goal posts, they would be drawn to each other, as if by a magnetic force, and crash. I flew up and covered the goal posts.

"Are we good?" asked Steven when I returned to the ground, "Because they're coming." I turned to see them all walking down the lawns, so I quickly drew out the cloak and covered Steven and I, and we retreated towards the stands.

I watched with satisfaction as they took to the sky, and Rose headed towards the goal posts. I grinned as she stopped by it, and out of habit swung around on it, holding the pole with her hand and circling it on her broom. Suddenly, Scorpius shot across the entire pitch, and in less than a second collided with Rose, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Luckily, Al was quick, and levitated them, so that they landed smoothly. However, the fall might have done Scorpius less damage than what Rose was about to do.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" she asked angrily.

"What do you mean?" he bellowed.

"You just ran into me on purpose!"

"I did NOT!"

"What, your broom just shot randomly across the pitch and _happened_ to hit me?" the sarcasm in her voice was truly admirable. As a connoisseur of sarcasm I would know.

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"What if I am?"

"GUYS!" called Sydney angrily, "Get back in the air this instant and stop your bickering! We've got to practice, and I'm not going to let your personal issues get in the way of that, understood?"

They both looked at her as if she had three heads, and I had to work very hard to hold back my laughter.

"We should go," whispered Steven, "Nothing more exciting is going to happen, at least not until they've gotten off the pitch and out of Sydney's sight."

"True," I said with a sigh, "Let's get back up to the castle."

* * *

When we reached the Common Room Daniel and Robert were no where to be found, but Em was sitting in a chair by the fire working.

"Hey," said Steven as he sat down in the armchair opposite her, "What are you doing?"

"Working," she said.

"_Really_?" he asked, his voice ringing with sarcasm, as he provided an eye roll for good measure, "I meant at _what_ were you working."

"Well, be more specific next time," she said, "I'm doing my charms."

"Oh," I said, "I written it yet. Which books did you use?"

"I'm not going to tell you," she said in a dignified voice, "You have to do it yourself."

"Hmph," I grumbled. None of my friends were ever any use to me at all. It was a surprise I kept them around.

"How long is it supposed to be? You can at least tell me _that_, can't you?" I asked.

"Well," she said, "I _suppose_ I can. It's supposed to be 12 inches."

"What?" asked Steven, "I wrote 18! I could _swear_ he said a foot and a half!"

"Well, you would be wrong," she said, "But don't worry, I'm sure he'll give you extra credit."

"That doesn't give me back the time and effort though!" he said.

"Oh well, life's hard," she shrugged, writing one more sentence before declaring "Finished!"

"Great, you wanna go grab some lunch?" I asked, "I'm starving."

"You go ahead," said Emily, "I've got to do my potions."

"Oh, me too!" said Steven, "I'll eat later, I really need to do it," I shrugged, thankful that I'd given up that pain of a subject. It wasn't until I was halfway to the Great Hall that I remembered that Steven had already finished his potions...

* * *

When I reached the Great Hall I ran into Rose who was, to my surprise, alone.

"Where's Steven?" she asked approaching me, "Aren't you two normally joined at the hip?"

"I could say the same about you and Scorpius. Where is he?" I had to work to suppress my smirk, because of course I knew why he wasn't with her.

"Don't even get me started on that excuse for a human being," she said waspishly, "He ran into me this morning during practice _on purpose._ I nearly died!"

"You _sure_ it wasn't an accident?" I asked, because I was so fond of toying with her.

"Positive. It is _so_ like him," she looked around before spotting Clarice at the Ravenclaw table and saying, "Luckily, I have better people to be hanging out with," and with that she left me, heading towards her table.

I went to the Gryffindor table where I found Daniel and Robert.

"Hey guys," I said, "What's the betting that Em and Steven will be going out by the end of this term?"

"5 sickles," said Daniel, "Steven doesn't have it in him to ask her out yet...I give him until the end of the year."

"I'll give you _both_ 5 sickles if he does it before the end of the year," said Robert, "It'll take longer than _that_."

"You're on," I said to both of them.

"What are we betting on now?" asked Al, who was passing our table with Scorpius by his side.

"Steven and Em," I said.

"I'll bet you all 10 sickles apiece that it happens today," said Scorpius.

"You have _got_ to be joking!" I said, "There's no _way_ it'll happen today!"

"So you'll take it?" he confirmed.

"Hell yeah!" I said, while Daniel and Robert nodded.

"Excellent," he said with a smirk, "Oh, and pay up!"

"What?" asked Daniel, looking confused.

Scorpius just nodded towards the doors, where Em and Steven walked in holding hands...

"I believe that's 10 galleons you all owe me," he said, grinning.

"Wait," I said, "You guys," I looked towards Robert and Daniel, "Owe 5 sickles apiece cause it _did _happen before the end of the term."

"Fine," mutter Daniel, while Robert just grunted as they handed over the gold, which I immediately handed to Scorpius.

"You two still owe me," said Scorpius to Robert and Daniel, "10 sickles, if you please."

"Fine," they said, handing over yet more gold.

"Wait," said Daniel, looking to Robert, "You owe me 5 more sickles! It happened before the end of term."

"But I don't _have_ 5 more sickles," said Robert.

"Well that's too bad, pay up."

"But I don't have it!"

"Don't have what?" asked Em sitting down, Steven joining her.

"Uh, nothing," said Robert quickly, while Daniel glared at him.

"So," I said slowly, "What's going on?"

They both looked at each other for a minute before Steven said, "Nothing really, we're just going out now."

"Finally," muttered Daniel.

"Looks like someone 'really needed to finish their potions homework'" I said with a smirk, but I was happy for them. I thought they'd never make it, if you want to know the truth.

Steven rolled his eyes.

"Wait a minute," said Daniel, "Did you see Scorpius and Al on your way here?"

"Yeah, why?" asked Em.

We all turned to face them, glaring.

"Well, it's been _lovely_ seeing you all," said Scorpius.

"But we really must be going," said Al, and they started to back away.

"You see," said Scorpius, "We've got quite a bit of gold to split between us," and with that they both ran for the Ravenclaw table.

"Do I even want to know?" asked Steven.

"No," said darkly, glaring after my cheating brother and his best mate.

The afternoon passed by rather boisterously, especially when Steven and Em kissed in front of the whole Common Room, which erupted into cheers at the sight. While I put on a beautiful show of being grossed out, I was happy for them. I _knew_ it would happen soon enough, and I was glad it'd worked out so smoothly.

As the year drew to a close I found my thoughts turning towards another couple that refused to get together...

**I wonder who that could be??? There will be more of Steven and Em, fear not, but I thought it was time for them to get together...REVIEW!!!**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	27. Fate? Yeah right

**So, this is a really long chapter cause it covers the beginning of 7th year, and the start of "When Fate's on Vacation" from James' point of view. ENJOY!!!**

When I arrived at Platform 9 3/4 on the day before my seventh year began, I felt a distinct sense of remorse. Hogwarts had been my primary home for the past six years, and I couldn't imagine my life without it. At the same time, I was excited to be a seventh year, because not only are they the heads of the school, but they also get away with all sorts of stuff that other students don't. When I reached our compartment on the Hogwarts Express Em and Steven were already in it, and it wasn't long until Daniel and Robert joined us.

"Quidditch," was the first thing out of Daniel's mouth when he entered the compartment, "I'm applying for Puddlmere United's team, and they'll be sending a scout to one of our games, but we don't know which game yet, so we _have_ to win them all."

"Not only that," said Robert, "But it's our last year. If we lose to Ravenclaw again..." I flinched, as did Daniel. Last year we lost the final match, and therefore the cup, to Ravenclaw by 10 points. It was a blow, let me tell you, considering that we were sure we had the win. However, we'd won the last two years before that...even if Ravenclaw won in our third year...

"We're not going to lose," I said, "We're going to win. We'll train every day if we have to."

"Excellent," said Daniel, "Now I was thinking, there's this new move that--"

"You know," said Em suddenly, "Steven and I are going to leave in a minute if you people don't stop with the Quidditch nonsense."

Daniel, Robert, and I all looked at each other, before turning to them and saying in unison, "Get lost." Honestly, I like Em, and Steven's my best mate, but they just don't get Quidditch.

"Fine," said Steven, "We'll go, but" he looked at me, "You and I have to talk later...It's our seventh year, and I don't want to waste our last chance to wreak havoc on the school."

"Fair enough," I said, already looking forward to his ideas. And with that they left the compartment, probably off to be lovey dovey somewhere else.

"Now," said Daniel, "As I was saying there's this move..."

* * *

The next few weeks passed in a haze of Quidditch practices, and then, suddenly, it was time for the first match of the year, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. The day of the match dawned cloudy but clear, and I was pleased with the conditions when I arrived downstairs for breakfast. The team always sat together on game days, and today was no exception. I was the last to sit down, between Robert and Daniel. Peter, Roxanne, Fred, and Hugo were all on the other side of the table.

"Perfect conditions," said Roxanne. Not only was she the only girl on the team, she was also our top chaser, and most likely to get the captaincy next year, even though she'd only be a 5th year, "Not too sunny, but still clear. I reckon we've got a good chance of thrashing Slytherin."

"I agree," I said, "Especially since Zabini," Page's brother, who, unlike her, was a Slytherin, "was injured last week and can't play. He's an amazing keeper...they're playing Greengrass, and he's just not as good."

"True," said Robert, "I reckon we'll be okay."

"I hope so," said Daniel.

"Listen," I said, "Don't worry about the Puddlemere United scout, he might not even be watching today. Just play like you always do, and I know you'll be brilliant, like always. You've got a legacy going for you. You're dad played for Puddlemere United, and was their captain forever, and your mum was on the Holy Head Harpies with mine for ages. You'll be fine."

He nodded, looking slightly better.

We made it down to the pitch, and all went to the changing rooms. Once everyone changed I gave _the talk_. Before every match I always gave _the talk_. The talk every captain has to give before a game, and, if successful, really helps the players.

"Okay guys," I said, "This is just another match. We've always been able to beat Slytherin, and we'll do it again. Just fly the way you've been flying all term and there won't be a problem."

With that I lead the way out onto the pitch. My talks were always short.

"And they're off!" came Annabel Smith's voice from the commentator's box as we took off on the whistle, "And it's Weasley, Roxanne that is, with the quaffle, she passes to Finnegan, who passes Thomas, who passes to Weasley, and she scores! It's 10-0 to Gryffindor, and Nott of Slytherin now has the quaffle."

I zoomed around the pitch, focusing as much as I could on finding the snitch, and trusting my team to do their jobs.

"And Nott approaches goal, avoids a bludger from Weasley, Fred, and advances on goal. He shoots--and Wood saves it! Beautiful save, if I say so myself, and now Thomas has the quaffle."

The game progressed beautifully, and soon we were up 100-0. Daniel hadn't let in a single goal. Not one! It was spectacular, and our chasers and beaters were, as usual, performing admirably. Then I saw it, the snitch! It was hovering by the Slytherin end of the pitch, and I zoomed towards it. Only the Slytherin seeker, Adelle Greengrass, was going to get there before me, she was closer, and we were only 100 points up, if she got there first...

"Hugo! Fred!" I called, without even bothering to look and see if they'd heard, "Get Greengrass!"

I zoomed forward, but saw her reaching. I pushed my Firebolt to the limit, and just when I thought she'd get it two, not one, but TWO bludgers flew at her and she had to veer off course. Silently thanking Fred and Hugo I raced towards the snitch, and caught it! We'd done it, we'd won the match!

"And James Potter has the snitch!" Smith was saying, "That's the end of the game folks, 250-0, to Gryffindor.

When I got down to the ground I first found Hugo and Fred and said, "That was BRILLIANT! I owe you guys big time!"

"Hey, that's what we do," said Fred with a shrug of his shoulders, "But where's Daniel, he's the hero of the hour. He saved, what, all 25 attempts on goal?"

"You were counting?" I asked incredulously.

"Maybe," said Fred with a smirk.

I turned to see Daniel talking to a man that I immediately recognized as the current captain of Puddlemere United. What was he doing here? There's no way they'd send him as a scout...

I walked just close enough to hear him say, "I don't usually come to these of course, but I was on the reserve team while your dad captained, and I never saw a better keeper, until I saw you play today. He'd be really proud, you giving him a run for his money. I can't imagine us seeing a better keeper this year. I can guarantee a spot on the reserve team, and, if you're lucky, maybe the real team. I'll be in touch."

"Thanks," said Daniel, looking like he could've flown without a broom at that moment.

Once the captain had totally disappeared Daniel turned around and said, "CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?!"

"Yeah," I said, "I _told_ you it'd work out!" I was beaming widely as I helped the rest of the team hoist him onto our shoulders.

Needless to say the party in the Common Room that night was of epic proportions.

* * *

A few weeks after the match against Slytherin, and about halfway into the year, I was eating dinner in the Great Hall with Em and Steven.

"So," Em was saying, "What do you guys want to do this Hogsmead weekend? It _is_ the last one before Christmas break."

"I don't know," said Steven, taking a bite of his chocolate cake and saying, "This is fabulous. Want a bite?"

"Sure," said Em, and I tried, and somewhat failed, not to gag as Steven fed her a bite off of his own fork. It was nauseating, let me tell you. "That _is _good," said Em, stealing another bite before continuing, "I was thinking we should get all of our Christmas shopping done."

Both Steven and I groaned. As any guy knows, the thought of Christmas shopping is daunting, because no guy, _anywhere_, on the face of the entire _planet_, knows how to pick out a Christmas gift without serious help and guidance.

"Oh come on," said Em, "It'll be fun..."

I snorted, while Steven said, "How on _earth_ can you call shopping fun?"

Em rolled her eyes before saying, "If you're not good I won't get you anything, and I had something special planned." She smirked...Steven _hated_ secrets, as she knew.

"Oh, and what's that?" he asked.

She put on a face of mock thought, before kissing him lightly, and saying, "You'll see." With that she stood up, Steven following suite, and turned to me, saying, "You coming?"

"Nah," I said, I didn't think I could take any more lovey-dovey crap that evening, "I'll catch up, I'm not done yet."

"Okay," said Steven, before they walked off.

I finished eating, and then spotted Hugo and Lily leaving further down the table, and I hastened to join them.

"Hey guys," I said, "What's up?"

"Nothing much," said Lily, "I'm just trying to figure out what to get Kyle for Christmas..."

"Ugh," I said, "Can we _not_ talk about Christmas gifts?"

"Fine," said Lily, while Hugo said, "Thank the Lord! I did _not_ enjoy hearing about how Kyle's a 'perfect boyfriend' and needs 'the perfect gift'. It was _killing _me."

Lily rolled her eyes as we started climbing the stairs. We were going upstairs when we heard some interesting shouting coming from the Ravenclaw end of the seventh floor.

"Oh, not _again_..." said Lily.

"This should be good," I said with a smirk. I _loved_ watching Rose and Scorpius go at each other.

We arrived at the hallway where the confrontation was taking place, Rose at one end and Scorpius all the way at the other end.

"YOU ARE WITHOUT QUESTION THE MOST HORRIBLE EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING I'VE EVER MET!!!" Rose was shouting.

"OH YEAH? WELL YOU'RE NOT SO FAR FROM THAT YOURSELF!" Scorpius bellowed back.

"I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW WHY I'M FRIENDS WITH YOU! YOU'RE THE MOST SELFISH, RUDE, AND STUPID PERSON I'VE EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO MEET!"

"WELL YOU KNOW WHAT? I KNOW _EXACTLY_ WHY I HANG OUT WITH YOU! AL WOULD _NEVER_ BE MY FRIEND IF I WASN'T NICE TO YOU, SO I'VE GOT TO PUT UP WITH YOU ALL THE TIME. WHY DO YOU THINK _ANYONE_ IS YOUR FRIEND? YOU'RE AN INSUFFERABLE KNOW-IT-ALL, AND IT'S SO HARD TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU! NO ONE WOULD EVEN BOTHER IF AL WASN'T AROUND!"

For what I was sure was the first time in Rose's life, she was speechless.

"Come on," I muttered to Hugo and Lily as we scurried down the corridor, trying not to be noticed by the two sixth years. This was getting to personal for even _my_ enjoyment.

As we turned the corner we heard Rose bellow, "_I HATE_ YOU, AND I HOPE I NEVER HAVE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"

We walked down a few more hallways until we found Al walking along by himself.

"What are they fighting about now?" asked Lily, as we caught up with him.

"Well," sighed Albus, "first Scorpius made a snide comment about her flying, then she brought up the fact that she got one more O on the OWLs than he did last year, and it all kind of snowballed."

"We need to get them together," I said seriously. This was going _way_ too far in my expert opinion.

"No," said Albus, "they will get together; it's fate, so we don't need to assist it."

"Well, apparently 'Fate' is on vacation, so we'll have to do," I said, rolling my eyes. Fate? Yeah right...

"Anyway," said Hugo, "you sound like Trelawney, mate. They just need a little nudge in the right direction."

"Which means you want to give them a shove!" said Albus.

"Exactly," I said with a smirk. Clearly Hugo, at least, understood how to handle this situation. "Glad to see you're catching on."

"If, the key work there being 'if', I agree to this, how exactly would we do it?" asked Albus.

"_When_ you agree to this we're going to—" but my brilliant plan was drowned out by Rose's further declarations of hate towards Scorpius.

"Scorpius Malfoy, I HATE you and I never want to speak to you again!" Then we saw a streak of flying red and then Rose was out of sight, as she ran off to Ravenclaw Tower.

A couple of seconds later Scorpius came around the corner. He didn't look angry, like he usually did after they fought. He looked dejected. That intrigued me. Guilt was an emotion I could definitely work with.

"She hates me," he said, the guilt written all over his face. If I wasn't planing on using it to my advantage I might have pitied him.

"Come on, mate," said Albus, "you guys have fought before, and you always make up." True Al, very true. For once he said something useful.

"You don't get it. We've always fought, but never before has she said she hates me."

"Why do you care?" I said, not caring that Al, Hugo, and Lily were all glaring at me. I needed to asses the situation...exactly how much was he willing to admit and to whom was what I really needed to know.

"She's my best mate!" said Scorpius.

"Is that really all she is to you?" I asked, ignoring Al's antics about how _he_ was Scorpius' best mate.

Scorpius looked for a moment like he was going to say something, but he seemed to have thought the better of it, because he just nodded and mumbled, "Of course, what else would she mean to me?" as he trudged away. Pathetic was the word that came most readily to mind at that moment.

"I knew he was too scared to tell her, but I thought for sure that he'd tell us!" said Hugo.

"Admit it," said Lily, looking at Albus, "We've got to do something." Finally, someone was on my side. I knew Al would agree if Lily asked him to...He _always_ did what she wanted because she was _younger_. It was ridiculous, but at least she knew how to use it to her advantage. She was quite a conniving kid.

"Okay," said Albus, "I'm in."

"So, here's the plan," I said, "We wait for them to make up, which won't take too long, right?" I confirmed with Al.

"No, it won't" he replied, and I was very glad he was their best mate and able to give me all the information I needed, "They fight all the time and just wake up the next morning and act like nothing happened."

"Great," I said, "So, once they've made up we'll put the plan into action."

"So what exactly _is_ 'the plan'?" asked Al.

"You'll see," I said with a smirk, "You'll see..."

* * *

The next day though, they hadn't made up, and that irritated me, so I sent Al to talk to Clarice Longbottom, Rose's best friend.

"Why do we need to talk to her again?" Al asked when I presented this plan to him the next morning in the Great Hall.

"Because," I said, trying not to sound as exasperated as I felt. Honestly, some people are so slow, "Rose is a girl, and girls always have best friends that they talk to and tell everything to, and for Rose that friend is Clarice. Blokes aren't like that, but girls have to tell someone about it. So, you've gotta go and ask her why Rose and Scorpius haven't made up."

"Why me?" asked Al, "Can't you?"

"No I can't" I said, "Because I'm in charge and you do what I say. I'm the seventh year and that's just how things go." Honestly, I couldn't take working with amateurs. Admittedly, this was the first time using my talents for something like this, but I had enough prank experience to be qualified.

"Fine," muttered Al, as he walked away.

I smiled and turned back to my breakfast when Steven and Em sat down.

"So, what's going on?" asked Steven.

I explained the situation to them, but was disappointed in their support level, or rather lack of. They actually laughed at my brilliant plan...LAUGHED.

"You have _got_ to be joking!" said Em, "You can't play God James, you've gotta let them sort it out for themselves."

"Yeah, mate," said Steven, "This isn't some prank this is the happiness of your cousin...you're playing with fire."

"Fine," I huffed, "Don't help me. But I _know_ this'll work."

"If you say so..." said Steven.

* * *

The next morning Al got Scorpius and Rose to make up, though I'm not sure how, and honestly didn't much care, as long as they were friends again. Al also told me that they almost kissed at breakfast, something that made me sure my plan would work. That afternoon we all met outside the Gryffindor Common Room. Before Al arrived I filled Lily and Hugo in on the plan, which I was quite proud of. It was full proof, I was sure of it. When Al arrived Lily was the first to speak. The longer we worked on this project together the more I realized that Lily and I probably aren't related to Al at all. For a Ravenclaw he has absolutely no common sense or strategic thinking skills.

"Now that they're speaking again we can put our plan into action," she said.

"You've yet to tell me what the plan is," said Albus, he was pretty annoyed that he was the last to know, and I quite enjoyed it.

"We want to create several scenarios in which Rose and Scorpius are in very close physical contact. During one of these moments they will definitely kiss. That's our strategy. Judging by what you told me happened at breakfast it might even happen tonight. They seem pretty close to figuring it out themselves. During your Quiditch practice this evening Rose is going to fall off her broom. We're going to put this," I held up the purple patch up as I continued, "on her broom beforehand, and when Scorpius is flying underneath her we're going to say the charm and set it off. It will shock her so violently that she will fall off the broom and into Scorpius' arms."

"But how are we supposed to explain how the patch got there?" asked Albus. He clearly didn't know me very well, because Hugo, Lily, and I had already discussed it. Clearly though, he wasn't smart enough to figure out an excuse on his own. Thankfully Hugo responded, saving me the exasperation.

"You have to suggest that it was a plant from the Slytherins, to take Ravenclaw's keeper out of action for Saturday's game," Hugo explained.

"Okay, but if we're going to put it on the broom we'd better hurry," said Al.

It was true their practice was due to start any minute, so we all rushed off towards the pitch.

* * *

Oh Sydney, why do you always have to ruin EVERYTHING? Honestly, it's like she doesn't want them to get together.

"We were so _close_!" said Lily, frustrated.

"I know, right? Damn Sydney!" said Hugo bitterly. I have to admit that was what I was thinking. But, we couldn't afford to keep dwelling on it, and I said as much.

"Well, time to move on to Plan B."

"What's Plan B?" asked Albus.

"Scorpius saving Rose from a stampeding Hippogriff," said I said. I was a bit insulted when Al looked outraged. It was like he didn't think I could pull it off.

"And how the hell are we supposed to get a stampeding hippogriff?" asked Albus.

"We'll ask Hagrid if we can borrow Graytail," said Hugo. See, at least _someone_ in my family is on the same page as me.

"Yeah," said Albus sarcastically, "because it will look totally rational if I go up to him and say, 'Hey Hagrid, can I borrow your hippogriff? I need it to stampede and possibly kill my cousin so that my best friend can save her and they can fall in love.'"

"That is exactly what you're going to say," said Lily. I was glad that Lily and Hugo were dealing with Al, because in all honesty, he was kind of being a whiner.

"Yeah, because—wait a minute, what _I'm_ going to say! Why can't you go and ask him?" asked Albus indignantly.

"Because," I said, deciding it was time for me to step in and shut Al up with a bit of flattery, "Hagrid _loves_ you, and we all know he's a hopeless romantic. If you explain the situation properly he'll lend us Graytail for sure."

"Fine," muttered Albus, "but I'm not happy about this." As if I cared.

"We aren't asking you to be happy about it," I said, "we just want you to do it."

* * *

"I told you it would work!" I said, smirking. Al had just told me that Hagrid had agreed to lend him Graytail

"So, now all we need to do is make sure that Rose and Scorpius are on the grounds together tomorrow," said Lily.

"How are we supposed to manage that?" asked Albus.

"You," said Hugo, looking at Albus, "are going to suggest tomorrow that you three go and visit Hagrid tomorrow after class. But, you are going to fall behind to ask Uncle Neville a herbology question, and they will continue on alone. Then, Graytail is going to attack Rose, and Scorpius is going to save her." My mouth was dangling open. I had no idea Hugo could be that smart.

"Why do _I_ always have to do the hard work?" asked Albus.

"You're not doing the hard work this time. Once you leave you can go wherever the hell you want, I don't really care," I jumped in, "just get them together on the grounds. Then I will be doing the hard work, by making sure the plan works perfectly."

"Ugh, fine!" said Albus before storming back to Ravenclaw Tower. Honestly, that kid was never happy.

* * *

I was hiding behind Green House 3, waiting for Rose and Scorpius to appear. I had Graytail all ready to go, and a piece of Rose's hair to use. Suddenly, Al ran right into me.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked. He could be so think sometimes.

"I'm taking a walk with my pet hippogriff," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm, "What do you think I'm doing, I'm going to release it from here."

"Oh," said Al, looking embarrassed.

"You know, for a Ravenclaw you really aren't that bright." I informed him. Well, someone had to tell him.

Eventually, Rose and Scorpius came into view, heading for Hagrid's cabin.

"Hagrid showed me how to make it go to her," I said. As a member of the N.E.W.T. Care of Magical Creatures class I knew quite a bit about Hippogriffs. "I think it's time, _now_" and with that I held up some of Rose's hair to Graytail's nose, and said, "Go get her!"

"I don't even want to know how you got that hair," said Albus. God, cause I wasn't going to tell him.

The hippogriff was stampeding towards Rose and Scorpius when Robert Finnegan, the idiot, rushes forward and saves her!

"Damn it," I muttered. Leave it to Robert to ruin my perfectly good plan. I was going to have a word with him at the next practice. What the hell was he even doing flying around the grounds? We didn't even have practice today!. When I saw that Al wasn't paying attention I nudged him and said, "Get out there! You're supposed to be heading to Hagrid's!" Clearly Al wasn't able to keep up with his role.

"Oh, right!" said Albus, before running into Rose and Scorpius' view and saying, "Oh my god, are you okay? I saw the whole thing!"

The threesome made their way to Hagrid's hut, and I headed back to the Common Room to tell Lily and Hugo what had happened, and to have a word with Robert. I still had one more plan in mind, but if that didn't work I was willing to descend to a whole new level of unoriginality....though I hoped it wouldn't come to _that_.

**So, I know that was long, and we've still got another half of the story to go, but I really wanted to get through most of what you guys had already read, because now I'm going to include the reality of Plans C and D, which you only heard about in the only stories. Drop me a review and let me know how you liked it. I'm still toying with the idea of "One More Year" from James' perspective, so let me know.**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
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	28. Truth or Dare?

**Hey guys! This is as long as the last one, continuing "When Fate's on Vacation" from James' POV, which I'll finish up next chapter. Sorry it took so long! I hope you guys enjoy it!**

"So what's your next plan genius?" asked Al, and I had the urge to slap off the smug, sarcastic look on his face, but was proud when I resisted. It was late evening, and we'd all met in the room of requirement, which had turned into a comfy sitting room for us. I had the map with me, so we were able to get ourselves there and back safely and without detection.

"A magical raincloud," I said easily.

"A _what_?" asked Lily...Shame too, I thought she was catching on. Clearly they needed me to explain the finer details.

"A magical raincloud," I said clearly, "We're going to have it rain on Rose all day, and Scorpius will be attached trapped with her. We'll hide all their umbrellas, and they'll be cold and wet, so they'll huddle together, and then BANG, kissing."

"Smart," said Hugo appreciatively.

"I know," I replied smugly.

"How are we supposed to explain that?" asked Al. God, he really was a downer.

"Steven and I like pranks don't we? We'll say it was just a prank," I replied.

"Alright," Al conceded, "But how're you going to cast it on them?"

"I'm not," I said, "You will."

"But then they'll know it was me!" he exclaimed. He was always trying to get out of work, it was just ridiculous.

"Not if you do it right," I said, "They won't see you do it if you're even half as smart as regular Ravenclaws," Al _hmphed_, but I ignored him as I continued, "Then you'll _say_ that it was me and Steven. It's not like we'll deny it."

"Why do I always have to do the hard work?" he whined. He was constantly whining. Honestly, I didn't know how Rose and Scorpius put up with him.

I rolled my eyes, "_Because_, I do the really hard work by coming up with all of these ideas, and Lily and Hugo are only 5th years, they can't handle it."

"Hey!" said both Lily and Hugo, so I turned to them and said, "Sorry guys, but you know it's true."

"Hmph," said Lily, while Hugo just pouted.

* * *

The next day Al got Rose and Scorpius under their cloud before breakfast.

"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER!" screamed Rose as they walked over to the Gryffindor table, neither of them able to leave the raincloud, which was so small that they were basically shoulder to shoulder.

"Yes?" I asked, trying to seem as innocent as possible.

"What did you do?" she asked, looking furious.

"_I_ did nothing," I said....again, half-truths rock.

"We're not stupid James," said Scorpius, "Get rid of it!" I had to hand it to Al, he'd done a marvelous job with the charm. The rain was pouring down on them, but not a drop spilled anywhere else.

"I can't" I said, "I don't know how. And even if I did I probably wouldn't"

"You--" but apparently Rose couldn't come up with an adjective strong enough to describe me, something I was quite proud of, and so she just turned to Scorpius and said, "I'm cold!"

"Here," said Scorpius, taking off his jacket and putting it over her shoulders.

"Thanks," she said biting her lip. I tried to contain my smirk. This was working perfectly.

"We'd better get going," said Scorpius trying to take a step away from Rose, but finding that he couldn't, "We've got Herbology."

"Oh no!" she said, "It's going to be so cold out there already, and now it's raining on us!" She glared at me, and the phrase 'if looks could kill' came into my mind, and I was once again, as I so often was in Rose's presence, I was glad that it wasn't true.

"Well," I said, getting up and stretching, "If you'll excuse me, I've got to go to Ancient Runes," I looked up at the ceiling of the Great Hall, which was covered in deep, gray storm clouds, "I hope it doesn't rain. That would be a real downer..." I smirked and turned to leave, feeling satisfied with myself. Not only would this get Rose and Scorpius together, it was also extremely entertaining.

As I climbed the marble stair case I turned and saw Rose and Scorpius being joined by Al, who was trying to contain his laughter with difficulty. I smiled.

* * *

When dinner began Rose and Scorpius entered the hall looking murderous. I'd avoided them at lunch on purpose, and seen, to my satisfaction, them _almost_ kiss, before being interrupted by, you guessed it, Sydney. Honestly, she was just about the most annoying person on the planet, I'm not kidding. She was there to tell them that Quidditch practice was canceled because it _had_ started raining outside. The look on Rose and Scorpius' faces at _that_ moment was priceless.

"James Potter if you don't get rid of this right now I will--" started Rose, but I cut her off.

"What?" I asked with a smirk, "Give me detention? You have no proof I did this, plus, it's not like I haven't had detention before."

"No," she said, "But I _will_ write to your mother!" I was shocked. She was about to tattle...I believed she would too.

"Fine," I sighed. If you've never met her, my mother is a force to be reckoned with, and I didn't really fancy getting a howler. I flicked my wand while saying, "_Separatus pleut"_ and the rain cloud disappeared. Rose immediately took out her wand and dried herself with it before doing the same to Scorpius. Then she took off his jacket and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said.

"Thank you," she replied, "I feel bad though, you were probably freezing all day."

"Not really," said Scorpius, looking pleased with himself.

They left to join a sullen Al at the Ravenclaw table, while I turned to face a laughing Steven and Emily.

"'I will write to your mother'?" asked Steven through peals of laughter, "You're afraid of her writing to your _mother_?"

"Have you ever met my mother?" I said in defense, "She's a walking machine of death!"

Steven merely laughed more while Em rolled her eyes. I stood up before they could think of another excuse to laugh at me, and left in search of Robert and Daniel.

* * *

Later that night I was waiting with Lily and Hugo outside of the Gryffindor Common Room. It was about 8:30, and I was fuming.

Al came sprinting up the corridor. He stopped in front of us and said, "So, what are we going to do?"

"You're late," I said. I didn't like it when my assistants didn't show up. It annoyed me.

"Sorry," he said, "But I had to get away from Rose and Scorpius without them noticing, and they're pretty observant."

"Fine," I conceded.

"So," asked Lils, sitting down by a wall. We all followed suit, "What are we going to do now?"

We sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking. I had an idea, but I was reluctant to use it. It was so unoriginal it hurt. I pride myself in the creativity of my pranks, and using something so cliche was degrading. But, with a lack of other ideas I spoke up.

"Well...I do have one idea, but it's pretty pathetic."

"What?" asked Hugo eagerly. The nice thing about having Hugo around was that he was so new to the pranking thing that he thought I was God--of course I thought I was too...

"The closet trick" I said.

"The what?" asked Al, at the same time Hugo said, "Brilliant!" and Lily said, "Unoriginal, I'll admit, but effective..." I tried not to laugh at their comments, because they told so much about each of them. Al, who was of course a Ravenclaw goody-good, had no idea how to prank, and didn't recognize my use of the term 'closet trick'. Hugo was still new to the pranking game, so every idea seemed 'Brilliant!'. Lils, on the other hand, who was a far more experienced prankster, saw things the way I did. She acknowledge the unoriginality of the trick, and it's necessity in this situation.

"Where we lock them in a closet until they kiss," Lily was explaining to Al. I didn't particularly feel the need to enlighten him, you see.

"But, can't they just use their wands to get out?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes, "Not if you do it right," I said, "God, I can't believe you're in Ravenclaw--whoops! Did I say that out loud?" Lils and Hugo laughed at my comment, while Al scowled.

"When are we gonna do it?" asked Hugo.

"Tomorrow," I said, "Here's what we're gonna do: Al, you're going to get Scorpius alone, and Lils, you'll handle Rose. Then..."

* * *

The next day Lily pulled Rose aside after dinner to ask her for advice regarding her new boyfriend, Paul. Obviously she didn't need advice, but we had to get Rose away. Then Al continued up from dinner with Scorpius as usual. I had cast a disillusionment charm on Hugo, and covered myself with the invisibility cloak as we headed towards the broom cupboard on the seventh floor. We got there and waited for one of the pairs to come round the bend. Scorpius and Al arrived first, and Al tried not to look at us, but he was acting pretty suspiciously. Luckily that acted to our advantage, because it caused Scorpius to stop right in front of the door.

"What's up with you, Al?" said Scorpius, "Your eyes are darting all over the place, like you're waiting for something."

On that note Hugo opened the door and I pushed Scorpius in, catching his wand out of his hand on the way. The door snapped shut and I locked it, and placed on it a silencing charm, so that his shouts wouldn't be heard by an unsuspecting Rose. I let Scorpius' wand fall to the floor before motioning Al to get under the cloak. We had to wait only a few moments before Lily and Rose entered the corridor from the other end.

"Hey!" said Rose, spotting the wand and running towards it, "Isn't this Scorpius' wand?" she asked, kneeling down on the ground. Hugo opened the door as Al grabbed her wand out of her pocket and Scorpius' from her hand, and I pushed her into the closet before snapping the door closed again.

I took off the invisibility cloak, and turned Hugo his normal coloring before tapping the door with my wand to get rid of the silencing charm. They'd had enough time to figure out that shouting would do no good, so they were speaking in normal voices. I took out some extendable ears and pushed them to the edge of the crack, handing them out to Hugo, Lils, and Al.

"You idiot," Scorpius was saying. Leave it to them to bicker while locked in a closet, "How come you didn't let me out?"

"How was I to know you were in here?" asked Rose, and just by the tone of her voice I could tell she had her 'I'm mean, a prefect, and irritated' expression on.

"I don't know," said Scorpius with commendable sarcasm, though not as good as mine or Rose's, "Maybe by the way I was screaming for you to get me out?"

"I didn't hear a thing," she said icily, "We've already established that there's a silencing charm on the door. And besides," she added with more venom, "I wouldn't have let you out anyway. It's your fault I'm in here!"

"_My_ fault?" he asked incredulously.

"If you hadn't dropped your wand on the floor I wouldn't have bend down to pick it up and I wouldn't have been pushed into the cupboard."

"Oh please, you would too."

"I would _not_."

"You would _too._"

"Would not."

"Would too."

"Would not!"

"Would too!"

"Would NOT!"

"WOULD TOO!"

"WOULD _NOT_!"

There was a clatter, and it sounded as if something had fallen off of a shelf. They elapsed into a prickly silence, and I took the opportunity to make sure that no one had heard them. As I looked around I saw Lils and Hugo stifling laughs and Al rolling his eyes, as if he'd heard that one too many times. He probably had too.

"How're we supposed to get out of here?" asked Rose helplessly after a couple minutes.

"And who shoved us in?" asked Scorpius, who sounded more angry than helpless.

"I bet," said Rose, and I could hear her putting two and two together in her voice, it was getting angrier by the second, "It was James, Al, and Lily!"

"Yeah," said Scorpius, catching on, "Lily was with you, and Al was with me, and none of us _saw_ who pushed us in. What makes you think James though?"

"Someone had to open the door for them," explained Rose.

"True...but, why? What's the point?" asked Scorpius.

"Who cares about the point?" asked Rose irritably, "We're stuck in here now, regardless of why. We need to get out of here. I don't want to be stuck in here with you all night!" We all winced outside the cupboard. We knew Rose hadn't meant it that way, but we also knew Scorpius would take it that way.

"Oh?" he asked venom in his voice, "And who would you prefer? Robert Finnegan?"

"What?" asked Rose, genuinely confused, What _are_ you talking about?"

"If you don't want to be here with me you have to have had someone in mind."

"Oh get a grip!" said Rose angrily, "This is _not_ helping!"

"Well I don't see how what you're doing is!" Scorpius shouted.

"I'm _trying_ to get us out of here!" Rose was shouting too, "That's more than you can say! All you've done is--" All three of us were leaning close to the door, clutching our extendable ears, when we heard the sound that also made Rose stop. A floorboard creaked.

We turned around to find ourselves face to face with Uncle Neville. I realized with a gulp that there wasn't a silencing charm on the door anymore.

"Hi, Unc--Professor Longbottom," I said, in my 'I'm innocent' voice.

"Hello James," he said, before walking silently over to the closet door. If I wasn't mistaken, it looked like he was going to laugh. That _had_ to be a good sign in my opinion. He clearly recognized the humor of the situation. He pulled out his wand and flicked it, causing the lock to click. He opened the door to find Rose and Scorpius sitting on opposite ends of the broom cupboard, looking wearily at the door.

They both split into grins when they saw him.

"Thanks Uncle Neville!" said Rose in her 'I'm your cute almost-niece who's in trouble' voice.

"Yeah," said Scorpius in relief, "Thanks Professor."

As they stood up I tried to slowly move towards the end of the corridor, hoping to make my escape when Uncle Neville called, "James..." I stopped dead.

"Yes?" I said wearily.

"Why don't you stay and chat with me for a moment while the rest of this lot get to bed?"

"Okay," I said, slightly outraged that only I had to stay behind, and not Lily, Hugo, and Al. They sent me apologetic looks behind the other three's backs before departing quickly. Soon it was just Uncle Neville and I in the corridor.

"So," I said, "What did you want to say to me?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Let me spare you some time and energy," I said, "I know I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry. No I won't do it again. Yes, I'll be sure to remember next time. I'll be there Professor. 8 o'clock Saturday morning. Good night, sir."

Uncle Neville chuckled, which, of course, had been my goal. "I'm not going to give you detention, and I'm not even going to tell you not to do it again. Just don't do it again after hours. Fair enough?" He smiled. I'd forgotten just how cool Uncle Neville was.

I nodded, "Thanks!"

"Thank you," he said, turning to leave, "Things are never dull around here, that's for sure. By the way, where is your friend, Mr. Heartfield? I thought for sure he'd want to be in on this. You two've been awfully quiet lately..." By the end of that statement he sounded pretty suspicious.

"This is a bit personal," I said, before smirking and saying, "But don't worry, we'll be back on the scene before long. Wouldn't want to waste our last few months here, would we?"

"Heaven forbid," he said with a chuckle before turning and walking away. I turned the other direction and went up to the Gryffindor Common Room. I hoped next time I'd remember to get caught by Uncle Neville--he was pretty cool, when you thought about it.

* * *

The next morning, Saturday, I ate breakfast with Al, Lils, and Hugo, much to Steven's displeasure.

"I haven't seen you all week," he said, as I passed by where Steven was sitting, "When are you going to be done with this?"

"Soon," I said. I really hoped it was soon, cause I did miss him, and only seeing him during class was depressing. I didn't feel too guilty though, cause he had Em.

Just as I thought of her, Em walked up and said "Hey guys!" before sitting down and giving Steven a light kiss on the lips.

"Hey," he said, before pulling her in for another deep kiss. I rolled my eyes at his 'loneliness' and decided that he would get through one more day without me.

"Okay," I said as I sat down next to Al, who had ditched the Ravenclaw table for this morning, and across from Lils and Hugo, "clearly we need a new plan."

"Yeah," said Lily, "the closeness thing would have worked, except that we get interrupted _every_ single time!" I realized that Lily was right. Closeness could only work if they had enough time to be close, and they never did.

"I think," said Hugo, "We need to give up on this 'closeness' thing, because there are too many people at Hogwarts to hope that they won't be interrupted." I felt very proud at Hugo for picking that up, he was getting better at this after all.

"Yeah," said Albus, "but what do we do now?" We all thought for a minute or two. Closeness was supposed to create sexual tension, but it didn't cause they weren't close for long enough...what _else_ created sexual tension? I thought back to stories my Mum and Dad had told me about Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione...and then I had it!

"We get them to fight" I said simply. It was the perfect plan! I couldn't _believe_ I hadn't thought of it before...if they fought about the right thing they'd for sure kiss!

"WHAT?" said Lily.

"Do you want them to never speak to each other again?" asked Hugo.

"They fight enough as it is!" said Albus.

"Calm down," I said exasperatedly, rolling my eyes. Clearly they were all still 8 steps behind me..."This is what I get for working with amateurs. Let me spell it out for you. Fighting creates sexual tension. If we can get them to fight about something that is dating-related, there will be enough sexual tension that one of them will succumb and kiss the other."

"What do you mean something 'dating-related'?" asked Lily. I was about to answer, but Al did first.

"Robert Finnegan!" he almost shouted. I guess he was so proud of himself for thinking of something that he wanted to get it out before I did. Truth be told I had been thinking about Robert Finnegan, but I felt like Al was making such progress that I wouldn't bring it up just then.

"What?" said Hugo. Shame too, I thought he'd been doing so well...

"Wednesday, when Finnegan saved them Rose gave him a kiss on the cheek, and Scorpius looked ready to throw up. I don't think she fancies Finnegan, but if we plant it into Scorpius' head that she does he'll ask her. You know her, she won't tell him right away, she'll get offended, and want to know why he cares, and then it will spiral," Al explained. I was getting more impressed by the minute. Of course, I'd come up with this conclusion too, but it was nice to know that Al was in Ravenclaw for a reason.

"Wow," I said, "I _knew_ that there was a reason you were in Ravenclaw."

"Well, now that we have a plan, you need to go find Scorpius," said Hugo, pointing at Lily.

"Why would I do it?" asked Lily.

"Because," said Hugo, "Rose would never tell one of us, we're boys." I thought about what he said. Lily couldn't just go up to Scorpius and say 'You know, Rose loves Robert Finnegan!'...it would be too transparent. But, a staged conversation ought to do the trick.

"Wait!" I said, because in the two seconds it took me to come up with this plan Lily had stood up, "Clarice Longbottom! We can ask her to stage a conversation with Lily in the Common Room where Scorpius can here clearly. Lily can ask if Rose is interested in anyone, and Clarice can bring up Finnegan."

"Brilliant!" said Albus, "I'll go find Clarice now!"

He stood up and departed, and I went off in search of my Quidditch team. We had practice starting in ten minutes.

* * *

I spent most of the next day in the Common Room with Steven, Daniel, Robert, and Em. For the first time in a while I even forgot to worry about Rose and Scorpius.

Em, who was sitting on the couch next to Steven, who had his arm around her, looked up from her books and said to the rest of us, who all occupied armchairs, "I can't study any more today. Let's do something fun!"

We all raised our eyebrows. We had barely half a year before our N.E.W.T.s, and Emily, who was a very serious student, wanted to do something fun?

Robert was the first to respond saying, "I'm all for that--I can't study this for one more minute!"

"Me too," I said, once I'd gotten over the shock.

Soon we all decided to play, for better or for worse, truth or dare. We sat in a circle on the floor: the order was me, Steven, Em, Daniel, Robert, then back to me.

"Who wants to go first?" asked Daniel.

"I think Em should," said Robert, "This _was_ her idea."

"Fine," she said, looking towards Steven expectantly.

"Truth or Dare?" he asked.

"Dare," she said.

"Ooooo!" I said, unable to help myself, "Stepin' it up, aren't we? Playing with the big boys."

She rolled her eyes, looking expectantly at Steven.

"I dare you," he said, and I could see him thinking, "to paintball your dormitory with these," he waved his wand and a bag of paint balls appeared, "So that you'll have yellow and brown splotches all over the walls that will stick for the rest of the year. And," he added, conjuring up another balloon, "You have to throw this one right above your bed."

"What does it do?" she asked wearily.

"You'll see," he said, with a smirk.

She took the balloons and went up. We heard the door slam and then nothing.

"What does the balloon do?" I asked eagerly.

"You'll see," he said.

Daniel and Robert both looked expectant, and Robert opened his mouth to say something when we heard a scream that we instantly recognized as Em's.

She came storming down the stairs, shouting, "Steven William Heartfield! I cannot _believe_ you! How do I get it off?"

"You don't," he said simply, patting the ground beside her, signaling for her to sit down, "It's charmed to come off the day of graduation."

"You--"

But Robert cut her off saying, "What did it do?"

"It splattered in brown paint letters on yellow paint above my bed, saying 'The girl sleeping in this bed is madly in love with Steven Heartfield.'"

"What, so you're saying it's not true?" he asked in mock hurt.

"Well," she said, sitting down, "Regardless I don't want it all over the dormitory." She pouted, and it took five kisses from Steven for her to smile.

She turned towards Daniel and said, "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," said Daniel.

Em let out an evil smirk, and conjured up a bag of balloons, "These go around the entire room," she conjured up one more, "And _this_ goes above Steven's bed."

I laughed in spite of myself. Steven looked horrified.

Daniel came down two minutes later saying, "Well, on the downside our dormitory is now neon pink," We all groaned except Em, "And will be till graduation, but," he gave his own evil smirk, "The space above Steven's bed has purple writing over the pink splatters that says, 'The boy sleeping in this bed is madly in love with Emily Johnson and now knows not to mess with her.'" We all burst out laughing as Daniel sat back down, except Steven, who looked horrified.

"Did someone learn a lesson today?" asked Em, turning to him with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, looking grumpy.

"Good," she said with a smile, giving him a small kiss before turning and watching Daniel address Robert.

"Truth or Dare?" asked Daniel.

"Truth," said Robert.

"Lame!" I said. I would've put Daniel as a truth-er before Robert.

"What?" said Robert, "Just trying to shake things up a bit." I rolled my eyes.

"Fine," said Daniel, looking grumpy. He thought for a moment before saying, "What is the most embarrassing secret you have, that you'd never want to get out?"

Before Robert could answer, I pulled out a bottle of Veritaserum. As a prankster I keep some with me always, for moments such as these, "Here, drink this first." I tossed it to him and he drank.

"Well," he said, "I really love those muggle movies--you know, the Disney Princess ones?" Em, Steven, and I all burst out laughing. Steven knew what those were cause he was muggle born, and Em and I have been exposed to some classic muggle things. Daniel looked confused.

"I'll show you one later," said Em to Daniel, before turning to Robert and saying, "Which is your favorite?"

"No fair!" said Robert, "Only one question." Em grumbled as Robert turned to me and said, "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," I said with a smirk. I wasn't a truth kind of guy, if you hadn't noticed.

"I dare you to list all of your girlfriends in order," he said.

"That's not very good," said Em while Steven said at the same time, "Not possible. There're too many to count!"

I glared at them both before saying, "I--I honestly don't remember them all."

Steven and Robert burst out laughing, while Em said, "Told you it wasn't very good."

"Fine," said Robert, "New dare--"

"No!" I said interrupting him, "Only one. You wasted it. Too bad!" I turned to Steven and said, "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," he said.

"I dare you to go up to the dormitory and write in this," I conjured up a purple can of paint before turning to Em and asking, "Is this the right color?" She nodded, so I continued, "Well, I dare you to go and paint under Em's writing, 'And, is no where near as smart as his best friend James Sirius Potter.'"

Steven groaned, but went up to do it while the rest of us all laughed.

The dormitories were some funky colors when we went to bed that night.

**Hope you liked it! I just wanted to inject some of James' interactions with his other friends, cause these last few chapters have been pretty centered on the sixth years. Hope you liked the raincloud, broom closet, and Truth or Dare? episode. Review PLEASE!!!**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
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	29. Al? As if

**This chapter is shorter than the last 2, because it only covers the end of "When Fate's on Vacation". ENJOY!!!**

I went down to dinner after our game of truth or dare to find Al. I grabbed Lils and Hugo on the way, and we went down to the Great Hall together. When we arrived Al was waiting for us, and we all sat down at the Gryffindor table. I was shocked when Al told us what had happened. How had my plan failed? It was full proof! My plans _never_ fail! There were no interruptions, no deviations from the plan, and it had failed! Unbelievable.

"I don't know what to do!" said Lily when Al was done telling his story, "We obviously can't try the fighting thing again." Really Lils? Stating the obvious, much? I wanted to roll my eyes, but resisted.

"Maybe," said Albus tentatively, "maybe it's time to give up. Maybe they'd be better off figuring this out on their own." My jaw dropped. James Sirius Potter does _not_ give up. Ever.

"I see what you mean," said Hugo. Traitor.

"I want to give this another shot." I said, before Lily decided to agree with them.

"James!" said Albus, "We've torn apart their relationship enough as it is." God, he's such a pessimist. It was true, but we could fix it.

"Please," I said, hoping that begging would work. I thought for half a second about how to get them to just tell each other how they felt when it hit me. They didn't _need_ to tell each other! Their memories could! "I have a plan, and I'll need your help."

"Don't you always?" muttered Albus. I resisted the urge to stomp hard on his foot. I needed him to agree to this.

"Please," I said, trying to be serious. "I just wanna give this one more go."

I was satisfied when Al nodded and said, "Fine," as though it pained him. I always win.

* * *

Six days later we were sitting at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast again. I'd given Rose and Scorpius some time to cool off, but it hadn't really worked, so we were going to go ahead with the plan anyway.

"Okay," I said, "We're going to need to get into McGonagall's office to get it, that's the really hard part. Then, we need to get into Slughorn's office to get the Veritaserum."

"How are we supposed to get the pensive?" asked Al. Honestly, he doesn't ever use his brain. He just expects us to do all the work.

"Well," said Lily tentatively, "We could just _ask_ to borrow it."

"Are you _mental_?" asked Hugo, "We can't just ask for it!"

"We can't," I said calmly, but you can," I pointed at Al.

"Why me? Why do _I _have to ask?" said Albus indignantly. He was always trying to get out of work.

"Because," I sighed, he really was a bit slow, "You're a Ravenclaw", it's not like he acted like one though, "You're going to ask her to borrow it for academic purposes, to relive a lecture or something. She'll think that that's great, because you're showing that you care about your studies. Do you really think she'd believe that if _I_ said it?"

Albus had to concede that I was, as usual, right. "Fine, but that means that it's your job to get the Veritaserum."

"No problem," I said. I'd been planning to anyway. I turned to Lily and said, "And you will give it to Rose and ask her to explain in as many words as possible how she feels about Scorpius. Make sure you're alone when you do it. Slip it into her drink at lunch and then drag her out of the hall. Then you," I looked to Al, "will do the same with Scorpius."

"And what's Hugo going to do?" asked Lils.

"He'll distract Slughorn while I get the Veritaserum," I said. I knew it wasn't a huge job, but Hugo wasn't too useful, to tell you the truth.

"Alright, if we want to finish this by the end of the day we'd better move," said Hugo.

"McGonagall is leaving the hall," I said to Al, "intercept her."

* * *

"Professor Slughorn?" Hugo was outside Slughorn's office with Slughorn, who was just leaving. I was hiding under the invisibility cloak as planned. Slughorn left the door slightly ajar, giving me enough room to slip into the office.

"Yes my boy?" Hugo, who was very good at potions, was one of Slughorn's favorites, along with the rest of us Potters and Weasleys because of who our parents were. It normally annoyed me, but today it came in handy.

"I was wondering if you could help me, I have a question about the uses of mandrake leaves in potions. That essay is due next Tuesday and I still don't fully understand it."

Slughorn went into a long explanation, and while he was doing so I slipped into the office. I found his potions case where he kept not only his ingredients, but also his Veritaserum. I'd stolen enough of the stuff to know exactly where it was. I grabbed a few bottles of it, more than necessary I'll admit, but I like to have some handy at all times, and left the office as quick as I could. I tapped Hugo lightly on the shoulder, so that he'd know I was ready.

At Slughorn's next pause Hugo said, "Thanks so much Professor, I'm sure my essay will be brilliant thanks to you."

"Don't mention it my boy, don't mention it" Slughorn replied before he returned into his office. I took off the cloak and held up the tiny bottle.

"You got it?" he asked. I tried not to roll my eyes. What did he think I was holding up?

"Yep," I said, "Let's go!"

* * *

That night Al set everything up. Lils, Hugo, and I all waited outside of the Ravenclaw Common Room. Al said he'd let us in when it worked, but we didn't know how long it'd take, and we were getting impatient. In case you hadn't noticed, patience is a virtue that Potters and Weasleys don't tend to possess in abundance. Finally, after what seemed like _ages_ Al opened the door, and we went in to see most of Ravenclaw surrounding Rose and Scorpius, who were quite oblivious to the audience, and were kissing fiercely. I felt a deep sense of smug satisfaction. It had all been my idea after all.

After about 20 seconds Professor McGonogall came in. Luckily Al, Lils, Hugo, and I were right by the door, and since she needed Al she didn't see Rose and Scorpius right away.

"Potter, I was wondering if you'd finished with my pensive I—" she stopped in her tracks upon seeing Scorpius and Rose, snogging in plain view of the entire room.

"Yes Professor, I am finished with it," said Albus hurriedly, he grabbed a vial and took the memories out saying, "let me just get my memories out, here you go." He shoved the pensive into her hands. I tried not to snigger at the look on McGonogall's face.

"Sort of personal," she muttered, before addressing Albus, "Thank you. I see you were successful in patching things up between Miss Weasley and Mr. Malfoy." Wait--did Al _tell_ her? That idiot! He really couldn't be trusted with anything!

"Yes, Professor I was," Al said, beaming like an idiot.

"Well, I had hoped that you hadn't been interfering, but," she looked over at me in a rather accusatory fashion. I met her gaze head on. This was my work and I was damn proud of it. "I forgot who I was talking to," she sighed, and I could tell she was trying to hide a smirk. I was glad she wasn't fooled into thinking Al did all this.

She closed the door a little too hard and it seemed to turn the sound on for Rose and Scorpius who broke apart. The room was still full of cheers and wolf-whistles, one of which was from Hugo, and from me--I tried not to, honestly, but I couldn't resist. They separated from each other.

"Rose Weasley," said Scorpius, "would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?" he exaggerated a bit and I thought it was rather cheesy, but Rose seemed to fall for it.

Rose continued the cheesiness and said, "It would be my pleasure." They leaned in for a chaste kiss before separating, though still holding hands. Suddenly Rose turned to Al with an accusatory look.

"Albus Severus Potter," she said, "you did this, didn't you?" She was trying to sound strict and angry, but it wasn't really working. She'd definitely had better 'I'm angry' days.

"I did, but I didn't do it alone, I had a bit of help, you see, from—" I had to cut off Al at this point because he was trying to make it seem like he orchestrated the whole thing! Al? As if.

"'A bit of help?' I bloody well planned the whole thing, don't you go and take the credit!" I turned back to Rose and Scorpius, "You see my dear cousin, you and young Scorpius here were beating around the bush and we were sick of it, so we decided to lend a hand, or five." I couldn't help being a little superior, because I did have the right to be after all I'd done.

"How many people were in on this?" asked Scorpius incredulously.

"Well," said Lily, "James set the whole thing up," see, she's got her head screwed on, "and was aided by me, Al, Hugo, and Clarice."

"Clarice? You knew about this? I poured my entire heart out to you!" said Rose indignantly. For the brightest girl in the year Rose was acting pretty dim. Maybe dating Scorpius was bad for her IQ...

"That was the point. They knew that you'd tell me anything, and they needed to know what you were thinking," said Clarice.

"Wait a minute!" said Scorpius, "It was you guys the whole time. The patch on Rose's broom, the hippogriff, the—"

"Yes, yes," I said rather impatiently, because they were being rather slow, and I wanted them to appreciate the brilliance of it all. "The raincloud, the broom cupboard, Robert Finnegan, it was all us. To be honest, we started thinking that nothing would work! This was our last hope, and then we were going to give up and wait for you to get yourselves together." I almost shuddered at the thought.

"But," said Hugo, as we all made to leave, the rest of Ravenclaw having trickled away ages ago out of boredom, "because we were so nice, and did you a favor by doing this, you have to tell dad."

I grinned and burst out into complete laughter once we'd closed the door.

"I can't _wait_ to see Uncle Ron!" I said.

"I know!" said Lils, "It's gonna be hilarious! I almost wished we lived there!"

"Almost?" I said, "I definitely do. Then I wouldn't have to put up with Al all the time!" Al grumbled.

"Well," I said, "If you'll excuse me I'm going to dinner. I've had a very tiring week, if you'll recall."

I turned and walked down to the Great Hall where I found Steven, Em, Daniel, and Robert.

"Is it over?" asked Steven.

"Yep," I said smirking, "I _told _you I could do it!"

"Finally!" said Em.

"We were beginning to feel replaced," said Robert.

I rolled my eyes before digging into my mashed potatoes. I deserved a good meal after all the hard work I'd put in. I'd earned it--and don't you dare let Al tell you otherwise.

**So, "When Fate's on Vacation" is over, but there will be more to come, don't worry. It might seem like this was a long time, but it only took up 2 weeks of James' seventh year, so there's still a lot to come. Tell me what you thought!**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	30. Real Life

**Hey guys!!! This chapter finishes off seventh year. Enjoy!!!**

After I'd had about a day to celebrate my success in getting Rose and Scorpius together, I had to turn to my next challenge. We'd won the match against Hufflepuff, but Ravenclaw had won both of its matches too, so there were no guarantees heading into last match of the season. I had my team training every day without fail as we prepared for the game. For any other game of the year I wouldn't be worried about Daniel, because no chasers could get passed him, and the Scamanders definitely couldn't, but Sydney was another matter entirely. She was the best chaser Ravenclaw had ever had, and she knew it. Rose was a descent keeper, it was true, but Roxanne could definitely handle it, and Peter and Daniel had gotten into the habit of passing to her before approaching goal, so we were set. The only disadvantage to that was that Rose knew Roxanne's style, so Roxanne had to learn some new moves. It did help though that Roxanne knew Rose's style. Boot was no match for Fred and Hugo, but Scorpius was another matter. When he was having a good day he could easily beat both of them together, and that wasn't acceptable. Then, I had to train to try and keep Al from getting the snitch before I did, because if he did we'd loose for sure. Well, not for sure, but it would definitely be hard to win, because being more than 150 points up against a team like Ravenclaw's was a hard feat.

However, the match wasn't my only thing to worry about. As we headed into April we were working harder than ever on our N.E.W.T.s. O.W.L. Depression was nothing, _nothing_, compared to this. Depression isn't even a strong enough word. And, on top of that, we had to submit our applications to our chosen jobs, and our scores would be sent directly to them. We'd find out about our acceptances long before that, based on our O.W.L. scores, but if our N.E.W.T.s didn't match up, than they'd withdraw our acceptance. Most ministry departments, as well as St. Mungo's and Gringotts, had their applications due on May 1, so on the evening of April 30 Robert, Em, Steven, and I were all in the Common Room putting our finishing touches on our applications, while Daniel watched smugly. He'd already received word that he was being put on Puddlemere Unites' team, the real one. Because the team manager had to see all the applicants at a game during the year, Daniel had done all of his application work last summer, so he was home free. He didn't even have to worry about N.E.W.T.s, the smug idiot.

"Guys, _relax_," he said, with a smirk, "It'll be _fine_."

We all sent him glares as we read through our applications. Em was the only one of us to decide his comment was worthy of a response.

"Easy for you to say. We're trying to sort out our futures!" she had that panicked look on her face that she got around exam times.

"Em, we all know you're the smartest, so they'll take you for sure at St. Mungo's. Robert's fine for the Magical Law Enforcement Squad, cause he's pretty bright when he feels like it. Steven's got some mean curses up his sleeve so the aurors will definitely take him. What are you people worried about?" Daniel replied. I looked up, pretty miffed.

"What about me?" I asked.

"One word," said Daniel, "Legacy."

I _hmphed_. My Uncle Bill could only do so much.

"Alright," said Steven, standing up resolutely. "It's time."

"What?" asked Em, looking truly panic stricken. Robert didn't even look up from his application, probably hoping that if he ignored Steven he would just stop talking.

"If we change anything now it'll only be for the worse," said Steven, "We've done all we can do. Hand them over."

I handed mine to him immediately, because he was probably right. Nervous and tired at 11 o'clock at night was probably not the best time to change my application. Robert handed his over next, folding it up and handing it to Steven with his eyes closed, as if watching would be just too painful.

"Em?" said Steven, walking over to her chair.

"Fine," she said, handing it to him. He slipped hers into an envelope, wrote _St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries: Admissions Department_ on the front, and tied it to her black owl, Midnight. He then opened the window, and Midnight took to the skies. He then took Roberts, and slipped it into an envelope, on which he wrote _Ministry of Magic: Magical Law Department: Magical Law Enforcement Squad: Admissions Department_. He tied the envelope to Robert's barn owl, Warren, and let him out of the window. Next he took mine, put it in an envelope, and wrote _Gringotts Wizarding Bank: Curse Breakers Division: Admissions Department_ on the front. He attached it to Lynx and let him out of the window. Finally he took his own, slipped it into an envelope, wrote _Ministry of Magic: Auror Office: Admissions Department_, on the front, and tied it to his snowy owl, Delilah, and let her fly out the window. We all watched him do this as if in some sort of trance, and I was glad I had Steven as a friend. He was the kind of guy who knew how to handle stressful situations. Only Daniel looked unimpressed with this monumental feat, and he stood up with a yawn.

"Well," he said, "Now that that's over with, I'm going to bed. Night." We watched him walk off to the dormitory with something close to envy. He had nothing to worry about, and it was just aggravating.

"We should _all_ be in bed," said Em, returning to her responsible state. She gave Steven a kiss, waved to Robert and I, and went up to her dormitory. Robert, Steven, and I went up together after that, and tried our best to sleep, trying desperately not to think of our owls, heading off to their respective locations, with our hopes and dreams attached by a fragile string.

* * *

It was the day. _The_ day. The Ravenclaw v. Gryffindor Match. It was Saturday, May 13, and it was the last chance I had to get the cup. We all went down to the changing rooms together after our traditional team breakfast. We were all changing, and could hear the crowd filing into the stands, talking and cheering.

"Alright guys," I said, deciding on the spot to be totally honest, "This is our last chance. _My_ last chance. Daniel, Robert, and I don't get another shot at this, and it means so much to me that we win this match. If you aren't to fond of us (can't see why you wouldn't be, but still), than do it for yourselves. We've worked too hard all year to loose this match. Just go out there and play your hardest."

They all nodded solemnly, and with that I led the way out onto the pitch. I shook hands with Sydney, and then we took to the sky. Hooch threw up the quaffle as she bled her whistle and opened the crate that contained the bludgers, letting them fly. She'd released the snitch before the teams had gone out onto the pitch, as usual.

"And it's Weasley, Roxanne, with the quaffle," came Annabel Smith's voice from the comentator's booth, "She passes to Finnegan, who passes to Thomas, who narrowly avoids a bludger from Malfoy, but he drops the quaffle, and it's been caught by Corner, of Ravenclaw. She passes to Scamander, Lorcan, who passes to Scamander, Lysander, who passes back to Corner, who's approaching goal. She shoots and--Wood saves it! Now, Thomas has the quaffle. And he passes to Finnegan, who passes to Thomas, who passes to Weasley, who shoot s and she scores! Thats 10-0, 10-0 to Gryffindor, and Corner has the quaffle." I listened eagerly as I zoomed around looking for the snitch. Soon we were up 50-30. Then, something happened that turned the game around. "And, Weasley approaches goal again and--" the Gryffindor supporters cried out in shock, "Oh no! Malfoy's hit Weasley with a bludger! And she's down!" Madam Hooch blew her whistle as she and Madame Pomfrey went out onto the pitch. "And they're examining Weasly...." Madame Pomfrey made a signal to Annabel who said, "And Weasley's out of the game! With, by the looks of it, a broken wrist." My heart stopped. Our best chaser was out. We had no hope of scoring much more now. I had to get the snitch and end this quickly. Madame Hooch blew her whistle and we were in play again. Soon the score was 50-40; 50-50; 50-60; 60-60; 60-70; 60-80! We were loosing...Robert had managed to get only one goal passed Rose, who could easily handle him and Peter. Then I saw it, the snitch! I zoomed forward, but Al had seen it too. It was hovering by Rose at the Ravenclaw end of the pitch. I pushed my firebolt with all my might.....and felt the tiny golden ball enclosed in my hand. "AND CAPTAIN JAMES POTTER CATCHES THE SNITCH!" Annabel was saying, "AND IT'S THE END OF THE GAME! 210-80 to Gryffindor, and they've won the cup!"

I landed, still clutching the snitch. Roxanne was the first to reach me, her wrist having been mended. Madame Pomfrey had had no trouble fixing it, but once a player hits the ground they're out of play. "I'm so sorry James!" she was saying, "If it hadn't been for you we'd have lost! I'm so awful!"

"No you're not," I said, "They were always gonna try and take you out of play, we were crazy not to think of it. You're our best chaser..." She smiled at that, and let me go so that the rest of the team could get in to see me. We were all still crowded together when McGonagall made her way over to us with the Quidditch Cup. I took it with a huge smile and held it up. The crowed cheered as the team hoisted me onto their shoulders. I was on top of the world at that moment, sure that I would be leaving Hogwarts with a bang.

* * *

N.E.W.T.s were getting closer, and after the match I couldn't even use Quidditch as an excuse to get out of studying. The night before our first exam, Defense Against the Dark Arts, something truly horrifying happened. We were all sitting in the Common Room, our heads buried in books, when there was a _tap tap tap_ on the window. We looked around to see 4 official looking owls looking in at us.

"Oh God..." whispered Em, who'd gone deathly pale. We all froze, and Daniel, the only person with nothing to loose, went over and opened the window. "Guys," he said, "You've got to open them."

I took the owl who had my letter, and saw Robert and Steven take theirs, only Em wouldn't touch hers. She was shaking her head furiously, saying, "No. Absolutely not. If I don't get in I'll blow my exams, and if I do get in all be so worried that they'll withdraw my acceptance that I'll _still_ blow my exams. It's a loose-loose situation."

"Em," said Steven, and I could tell he was trying not to roll his eyes, "They're definitely gonna take you so don't--"

"NO! Don't say that!" Em cried over him, "Cause then I'll get my hopes up! Just hand it over, Daniel." She snatched it from Daniel with trembling hands. I turned back to my own envelope, which read:

_To: James Sirius Potter_

_From: Gringotts Wizarding Bank: Curse Breakers Division: Admissions Department_

I opened it up quickly and read eagerly:

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the training program for our Curse Breakers Division. Orientation will commence on Monday, September 3rd, promptly at 8:00 AM, and training will begin the following day. You will be receiving more details about this over the course of the summer. Please be warned that we will check your N.E.W.T. exam scores at such a time as they are available, and we also ask that you bring a copy with you on September 3rd, if we find these scores unacceptable you will be asked to leave the program. If you have any questions please feel free to contact our Help Desk, or write to me directly.  
_

_Sincerely,_

_Michelle Fifer_

_Curse Breaker Trainer_

I looked up from my letter with a broad grin, forgetting momentarily about my N.E.W.T.s. I WAS IN!!! Steven was grinning right back at me, and Robert was rereading his letter with a smirk. But no one had a broader smile than Em as she looked up from her letter in triumph. Daniel was smirking smugly as he watched our reactions.

"See," he said, "I _told_ you it would all work itself out!" Em did what we were all thinking, and hit him.

"Hey!" he shouted, "What was that for?"

"Supreme annoyance," she said with a smirk. He scowled.

"Well," said Steven, "This is all fine and well, but we do have an N.E.W.T. tomorrow."

"Oh shit!" Robert and I said at the exact same time.

* * *

Exams were over, _finally_, and all of us were getting ready to leave Hogwarts for the last time. Steven and I were getting ready to leave with bang, and on the morning of graduation we had prepared a prank that was sure to be a hit, and would definitely leave our mark on the school in a permanent way.

The morning of graduation all of the graduates and their families ate breakfast together in the Great Hall about an hour after the rest of the school had been shooed away. We both made sure that our families sat together, and we were situated at the end of the Gryffindor table that was closest to the staff table. The food was about to appear, and Steven and I made our move. We knew we'd have to time our spell in just the right way or it would never work. McGonagall said her little speech about what an important day this was, and whatever, and then she raised her arms, to signal the appearance of the food. With a flick of our wands every plate of food in the hall bounced up. The faculty, students, and parents watched in awe as the plates soared around the room, and burst into fireworks. We'd charmed the food to turn into fireworks, and they were now zooming around the room, each exploding to read in a variety of colors: _GOOD BYE HOGWARTS! _or_ James Sirius Potter and Steven Heartfield_. Some of the others were changing into the faces of professors and students, or else magical creatures and other fun shapes. We knew that adding our names was a dead giveaway as to who'd done it, but we were leaving, so what could they do? The best firework of all though, exploded right in front of the stone wall that was above the staff table. It emblazoned into the wall a colored Hogwarts crest, and below it the following message, in letters a foot tall: _Farewell Hogwarts...From Gryffindor's Greatest Pranksters. _Steven and I made sure that the mark would stay there for a _long_ time._  
_

I turned to see a variety of reactions on the adult faces in the room. Some, like Dad, Mum, and Uncle Neville, looked as though they were having great difficulty restraining laughter, but others, and McGonagall definitely comes to mind, looked livid. Steven's parents' reactions were the funniest of all, because both were comically torn between anger and awe (being muggles the magic seemed like...well, magic).

"Mr. Potter! Mr. Heartfield!" cried McGonagall from the staff table.

"Minerva," said Uncle Neville, "It's their last day. Just get everyone outside for the ceremony."

McGonagall looked at Uncle Neville like he had three heads. I tried desperately not to snigger, and sent him a thankful look, to which he responded with a grin.

"Every one," Uncle Neville called, while McGonagall, got the graduates lined up, "Please proceed outside to the lake." The families all departed and we seventh years were all shooed into lines. While this was happening the teachers were getting rid of our fireworks, but were unable to get the markings off of the wall, for which I was quite proud.

When we reached the grounds the area by the lake had about two hundred gold chairs set up, and a little platform stage had been erected where McGonagall would present each student with their diploma. We were all wearing our best dress robes for the occasion, and once the families had all been seated we walked slowly in procession two by two, and sat in the front rows of chairs.

McGonagall called us up one by one in alphabetical order, and she would shake our hands as Uncle Neville handed us our diplomas, then we'd line up along the rim of the stage. When I was called I walked up and shook McGonagall's hand, and she had this look on her face that said, 'I'm going to miss you--but not _really_.' Nevertheless, she wore a small smile. I lined up in my spot next to Henry Peirce after that, smiling slightly.

When all of the graduates had lined up, Professor McGonagall said in a very professional voice, "I now present the Class of 2023!" We all threw up our caps with a cheer, but I wasn't sure if I was really happy or not. I didn't have time to reflect on it though, because Mum and Dad had descended upon me.

"Congratulations!" said Mum, who looked a bit teary, while Dad said, "Classic fireworks. Can't wait to show George the spot on the wall!" Mum elbowed Dad at that point, because she had to at least _pretend_ that she hadn't found me defacing school property funny.

After I'd separated myself from my parents I looked around for all of my friends. I found Robert and Daniel first.

"I guess it's over," I said.

"Yeah," said Robert, "But at least you and Steven will never be forgotten....'Gryffindor's Greatest Pranksters'."

I smirked. "Where is Steven, by the way?" I asked.

"With Em," said Daniel. He pointed to a spot in the crowed where Em and Steven were talking quietly, then Steven said something that made Em's eye's get wide. She looked at him for maybe half a second before breaking out into a grin, and saying (so loudly that we could hear it over the huge, loud crowed) "Yes of course I will!"

"Oh no," said Robert.

"No way..." whispered Daniel.

"He hasn't," I said. There were only two things that would make Em react like that. Steven asking her to move in, or Steven asking her to marry him, and it definitely wasn't the first. Steven and I had been discussing only a week before living situations. I was going to be renting in London, and wanted to know if he'd like to share with me. His exact words had been, "James, I've roomed with you for seven years. I want to try living on my own for a while, get ready to be an adult." That was exactly what he said, so clearly the first option didn't work, but, a long-term engagement totally did.

Just then, they spotted us, and walked over hand in hand.

"Guess what?" asked Em, who clearly hadn't noticed our own shocked faces, "You'll never guess so I'll tell you....Steven and I are moving in together!"

"What?" I asked, before turning to Steven with a mischievous smirk, "What happened to 'wanting to try living on my own for a while'?"

"You'd have told her," he said, looking unabashed, "It was supposed to be a secret."

"Well," I said, putting on a mock-insulted face, "I can keep secrets."

Steven rolled his eyes, while Emily said, "Are you two done now? Do you really want to ruin our last day with bickering?"

"Yes, we're done," said Steven.

"Good," said Daniel, "Cause we were about to get on the train without you."

It was true. It was tradition that graduation was held on the same day that the Hogwarts express left, and most graduates wanted to ride the train one more time, and of course, we were no exception. I said goodbye to Mum and Dad, and then went to find a compartment with Em, Steven, Daniel, and Robert.

"So," said Daniel as we all sat down, "Ready for real life?"

And we were, all of us, ready to start real life.

**Hey! I hope you liked this chapter and enjoyed graduation. Please drop me a review or private message me with thoughts. I'm coming to a very difficult moment in the story, which is to ignore "One More Year" (not write about it), and only write about other important things that happened to James in that year, or to include it in the story. I'm still pondering this, so tell me what you think I should do.  
**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	31. No Way in Hell

**Hey guys! I'm saving my real message for at the end, so enjoy!!!**

The first few months of being an adult were amazing. I began renting an apartment in London, having made the arrangements before leaving Hogwarts, so I never went through the awkward period of being just out of school but still living with your parents (which most people had to go through). I chose London because it was far enough from Godrick's Hollow (where Mum and Dad lived) that I could have my space, but I could still pop in to see them every now and again. Plus, it was only a few minutes walk to the Leaky Cauldron, so getting to work was a snap. It wasn't a huge place, but it was fine for me. It had one bedroom with a bathroom attached, and then a living room and a kitchen, with a half bath off of the kitchen. The only other room in the apartment was a multi-purpose room that I'd turned into an office. The place wasn't huge, but as I said, it was fine for me, and the rent was low. Steven and Em took a lot longer to find theirs, cause Em wanted the place to be perfect, even though she and Steven both agreed they wouldn't stay there forever. It's definitely a girl thing, but the crazy thing is that Steven went along with it, and saw about 10,000 apartments because he "wanted her to be happy". Kind of sappy in my opinion, but hey, I didn't have to get involved, so it didn't really bug me. They ended up getting a flat in London not to far from mine, though admittedly a bit larger, cause there were two of them. Daniel didn't have to look for an apartment, because he had to live in the training dorms for his first year on the team. It was a Puddlemere United tradition, so he was off the hook for at least another year, and by that time he'd have a lot more cash around to buy a place with. That meant though that he wasn't in London, but in the suburbs by the training pitch for the team, so he didn't get into the city too often. Robert was living in a flat even smaller than mine, in London as well. Being Robert he didn't keep it very clean, and he barely remembered to pay his almost non-existent rent, but he was happy with the fact that it was a low-maintenance place.

I started my training as a Curse Breaker, which would take a year to complete. It was fascinating work. I was training to specialize in cursed objects, because I didn't really want to travel around the world like Uncle Bill. I thought I might want to later, but I liked England, and London. Once I was trained, it would be my job to break the curses on object that came back from other places. A lot of it was Egyptian stuff, cause they were big into codes and curses during the ancient times, but there was a fair about of stuff from around Europe and Asia. Em was working hard on her healer training, which was pretty rigorous. She had to do two years of training and then one year of shadowing a healer before she could work on her own. Steven had joined the auror program, which had pretty rigorous training too, and was working so hard that Em was starting to complain about never seeing him, and to joke about how he could have another woman at the auror office and she wouldn't even know. Daniel was the one we saw the least, cause dorm rules were strict, and he was in practice almost every day, but from what we could tell when we did see him he _loved _flying with a professional team. Robert definitely had the least amount of work to do with Magical Law Enforcement Squad training, but that was probably why he picked it. The guy wasn't into work, if you hadn't noticed.

My year started off wonderfully overall, except for a little problem with Lysander Scamander that _still_ makes my blood boil. But, we saved Lily from that creep (and she and I had a word about it after). Since that little incident I spent at least one night a week in the Head's Common Room, and that was when my life started to get a bit complicated...

My life was going smoothly enough until November, when Steven did the weirdest thing, that I didn't really get at all at the time. We were all getting together for drinks at The Three Broomsticks for old times sake. We were all having a good laugh about old times at Hogwarts, and it was turning into quite an evening.

"Do you remember?" asked Robert, "The time when Daniel and I accidentally caught Hagrid's hut on fire?" We all laughed.

"How did you manage that again?" asked Em, looking at Daniel, who put his head in his hands.

"I do _not_ want to talk about it. We were only third years, we didn't know any better!" said Daniel through his hands.

"I'll believe that from you," I said, "But not from Robert."

"What?!" Robert said, looking indignant.

"Sorry mate," said Steven, "You're infamous for doing stupid things on purpose." We laughed some more at that, because it was, indeed, true.

"Well," said Em, "I hope you've gotten a bit smarter since then."

"I think I have," said Robert proudly, "I think I'm really growing." I tried desperately not to snigger. Robert growing? Sure.

"A toast," I said, "To Robert growing," we all clinked our glasses together laughing as we did so.

"I thought that was you lot!" came a booming voice, and speak of the devil, Hagrid comes from around the counter.

"Hey Hagrid!" we all chorused.

"How're you all doin'?" he asked us.

"Fine," said Em, "And how are you?"

"I'm grand, just grand. But I've been doin' grand for a long time, it's you lot that're changin'. What've you all been doin' here?"

"We were just having a drink for old times' sake," said Steven at the same time I said, "Wanna join us?"

"I can't," he said, and my heart fell just a tiny bit. I hadn't seen Hagrid in a long time, and I'd really missed him, "I've got to get back up to the school, I just stopped in for a butterbeer," he held up his enormous tankard, "But I wasn't plannin' on stayin' long anyway. I hope I'll be seein' you lot around."

"Yeah," said Daniel, "Definitely."

"Alright you lot, I best be goin'" finished Hagrid, and with a wave of his dustbin-sized hand he left the pub.

"I really miss him," said Em as the door swung shut.

"Me too," I said.

"Listen," said Daniel, "I've got to get going, I've got training tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's Saturday," said Robert, as though the thought of work on a Saturday was sinful.

"I know," said Daniel, "But we've got a match coming soon, so training is getting tougher."

"Fair enough," I said, "We should probably all get going."

We stood up and walked out together. Daniel, Robert, and I were discussing the Quidditch season, and Steven and Em walked a few yards behind us, as they usually did when Quidditch came up. For some reason they didn't feel the need to discuss Quidditch at every possible moment, something that I, of course, did not understand on a fundamental level.

Suddenly I heard Em say, in a rather teary but happy voice, "Yes of course I will!"

Daniel, Robert, and I didn't turn around immediately, but just looked at each other. All of our minds were flashing back to the last time Em had said those words to Steven, six months ago at graduation...back then we'd seen only two possibilities, one of which had now been eliminated. But, there was _no_ way that Steven had asked Em _that_ question. No way in hell.

I turned around slowly, and Em and Steven were kissing, but I could see on Em's left hand the tell tale diamond ring. When they broke apart Em turned to us and said, holding out her hand, "We're getting married!"

I wasn't sure if I wanted to gag or cheer, both impulses were strong. Daniel had decided on cheering, and went over to congratulate them, while Robert was still in shock. I decided that happiness was the appropriate emotion, and walked over to them.

"Congratulations guys!" I said, before saying just to Steven, while Em was talking to Daniel, "You could've warned me, you know."

"We've already established that you're bad at keeping secrets," he said with a smirk.

"So you're actually gonna do this?" I confirmed.

"Yeah," he said, and he looked like he was floating on air.

"I wish I could say I got it, but--"

"Of course _you_ don't get it," he said, "You've never been in love. But once you have you'll get it." I was willing to excuse that amount of sappiness coming out of Steven's mouth just this once, considering he was getting married and all.

**Hey guys! I hope you liked it! It's shorter than the last few, but I think that the next one will end up longer. I decided not to include the Lysander incident, because it didn't have a ton to do with James, but some parts of "One More Year" will end up in this story, so keep an eye out. Reviews are appreciated.**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	32. A Shift

**Hey guys! I hope you like this one! We're back in "One More Year" (with some additions of course). I hope you guys like it! Even if you have read one more year I think it'll still be pretty interesting, because when it's from James' point of view there are a lot of extra things, and his take on certain events can be funny, especially if you know how everything turns out (that was my not-so-subtle hind that I would LOVE for you to read "One More Year" if you haven't already. Enough of me talking though...ENJOY!**

After Steven proposed to Em my life went into a shift. He asked me to be his best man, and I accepted, of course, and Daniel and Robert were his two other groomsmen. Em's sister Sophie was going to be her maid of honor, and her best girl friends, Ella and Grace (twins, as a matter of fact), were going to be her bridesmaids. Because Em and Steven were spending almost all of their free time on wedding preparations (they wanted it to be that July) I was fleeing the wedding discussions and heading to the Head's Common Room at Hogwarts more and more. I wanted to help out obviously, cause Steven's my best mate, but really, there's only so much color-pallet viewing a guy can take.

The more time I spent at Hogwarts the more concerned I was getting. Take for example one night in early December. It was just me, Rose, Scorpius, Al, Annabel, and Clarice. They were supposed to be doing their homework, and I was supposed to be doing my curse-breaker work, so, naturally, we'd accomplished nothing.

"Holy Head Harpies," Clarice was saying stubbornly.

"No," I replied, equally as stubbornly, "Puddlemere United."

"Harpies"

"Puddlemere"

"Harpies"

"Puddlemere"

"Har--"

"Guys!" Rose butt in, "Neither of you is going to come to an agreement, and until we see the match we can't _possibly_ know who's going to win."

I rolled my eyes, "That's why it's called betting."

Clarice laughed in spite of herself, because she was still trying to appear angry that I didn't agree with her. I was getting concerned because whenever she laughed my stomach dropped, and I knew that I could think of a lot of sappy things to say about her laugh without trying, which concerned me even more. I hadn't dated much since 5th year (but to be fair, I did so much dating between 3rd and 5th year that it makes up for the years without dating), but I wasn't into the whole serious commitment, and I didn't usually have any particular attachment to a girl before going out with her. Very concerning.

"So," I said, "What careers are you lot all applying for?"

"Ugh!" groaned Al, "_Please_ don't start Rose and Clarice on their life plans! Scorpius is bad enough, but those two..."

"Yeah," said Annabel, "Spare us."

"I'm going to be an auror," said Rose, ignoring Al and Annabel.

"What about you?" I asked Clarice, cause I already knew what Rose was doing.

"I" she said slowly, "I wanna be a healer. But, they only take the smartest..." she trailed off hopelessly.

"So they'll take you no problem," I said before I could stop myself. I felt the urge to bang my head into a wall.

She blushed slightly and said, "Thanks," determinedly looking at her books.

"Well," I said, "I'd better be going..." I nearly sprinted into the fire.

* * *

When I got home I went into the bedroom and flopped down onto the bed, fully clothed. I thought and thought. I couldn't like Clarice, I just _couldn't_! I hadn't dated seriously in a while, and I wasn't going to start again using Clarice as a test run. For one, she was Uncle Neville's daughter, and two she was my friend. We always had so much fun together! I had a ton of fun at their Fall Ball, and whenever we saw each other we had tons of fun, but she just saw me as a friend. The last time I tried to go out with a friend was Leah, and just look at how that turned out!

I was so lost in my thoughts that Steven's faint _pop_ into my room shocked me so much that I jumped up and had my wand out of my pocket before he'd caught his balance.

"Whoa!" he said, raising his hands.

"Sorry," I said, sitting back down, "I was just thinking and--"

"Wait," said Steven in mock shock, "_You_ were thinking? Well, I guess there's a first for everything..."

"Shut it," I said irritably, I was _not_ in the mood for Steven-sarcasm.

He sat down next to me on the bed and said, "Sorry mate. What's up?"

"Well," I said, "I like this girl, and--"

"Finally!" he said, cutting me off, "I've been waiting for you to get back out there. Who is she?"

"There is _no_ way I'm gonna tell you. You'll tell everyone in England by tea time, and have made it through most of continental Europe by dinner."

"Hmph," he said, "So, when are you gonna ask her out?"

"What? Are you barking?" I said, so shocked that my eyebrows had completely disappeared into my hair.

"James," he said, sounding exasperated, though I couldn't see why, _I _hadn't been the one to just say something totally insane, "Don't tell me we're going to go through this again! We _all_ know you'll end up asking her out."

"I will not," I said in a dignified voice.

"You will too."

"Will not."

"Will too."

"Will not."

"Will too."

"Will not."

"Will not."

"Will too!"

"Ha!" said Steven triumphantly while I grumbled. He'd got me.

"You're not help at all," I said. I paused and thought, when the most brilliant idea came into my head. "I know what I'll do. I'll get a trial girlfriend. Then I won't think too much about the girl I really like, and I can get used to dating again."

"James _please_ don't do this. You know it's a mistake."

"It is not, it's bloody brilliant."

Steven sighed, "I can see your mind's mad up--"

"You're damn right it is," I interrupted, but he pressed on.

"And of course there's no reasoning with you now, you're too bloody stubborn."

I rolled my eyes.

"Where were you earlier this evening?" he asked, changing subject, "Em and I wanted to ask you which type of flower from the bouquet we should use for the corsages."

"Steven," I said, "As hard as this might be for you to believe I really can't stay _that_ interested in your wedding. When I get married--"

"Wait, you honestly think you'll ever get married?" he checked.

I rolled my eyes, "I meant _theoretically._"

"Ah," he said, nodding, "Continue."

"As I was saying: When I get married I'm _sure_ all be interested in all of this but _please_ don't drag me into every horrible detail of _your_ wedding. I promise I'll do the same."

"I thought we'd just agreed you'd never get married," he said.

"You're impossible!" I said, but I couldn't help laughing.

"I get it," he said, "But this is really important to me. You wouldn't get it."

"You're right," I said, "I don't. But I'm here for you. Just don't make me choose corsages." I ended with a joke cause I really couldn't take any more serious comments.

"Deal," he said with a grin.

* * *

About two weeks later I was at Hogwarts again, and they were deciding where to stay for the Christmas holidays, which were a week away.

"Why don't you come to the Burrow?" asked Rose, looking at Scorpius, but the question was meant for him plus Lorcan, Annabel, and Clarice.

"I'd love too," said Scorpius without missing a beat, "As long as your parents won't mind." Everyone knew that by "your parents" he meant "your dad." I couldn't help but snigger at Uncle Ron's reaction to having Scorpius with us for Christmas. He never used to mind before they started dating, but now...

"Mom loves you," said Rose, "and Dad can deal. Anyway, I want you to meet Grandma Molly and Grandpa Arthur. They're amazing, and my uncles and aunts will love you." I tried not to gag when they kissed.

"I'd rather be anywhere than my house for Christmas with Lysander, so I'm in." said Lorcan. I tried not to clench my fists at the mention of Lysander. I would never forgive him for what he did, and I knew it.

"I'd love to come," said Annabel, "I can meet your parents," she continued, looking between me and Al. I was cool with that, because I really liked Anna. I thought she was perfect for Al, he wasn't quite so nerdy with her around.

"Yeah," I said, before saying something truly stupid, "and everyone can meet Valarie." Val was the try-out girlfriend I'd decided on. She was horribly dull, but she was still good practice.

"Who's Valarie?" shouted everyone, except Hugo, who shouted, "James got a girlfriend? _Finally!_" I was so above Hugo and his snide comments that I completely ignored him, and answered the rest of the group.

"Valarie is my girlfriend. We've been going out for about two weeks. She was a Gryffindor in my year, Valarie Thomson, remember? She's muggle born, so we don't know her parents. She's training to become a healer now."

"And you never mentioned this because?" asked Lily. My nosy little sister knew something was up of course, because she always did.

"It never came up," I said, which was totally true. I decided that simplicity was my best tactic for evasion.

Once the topic of my girlfriend had been abandoned everyone turned to Clarice to see if she too would be spending the holidays with us. I wasn't sure if I wanted her to her not.

"Well," she said slowly, putting on a mock face of thought, "I would _love_ to spend Christmas there, I really would, but I can't _stand_ the thought of the entire holiday with _Rose_." I laughed in spite of myself as Rose hit Clarice gently on the arm. "Ow! Yes, of course I'll come!"

"Yay!" said Rose, hugging her tightly. I wasn't sure why--well I was but I didn't like to admit it--but my stomach dropped at the thought of an entire Christmas break with Clarice in the house.

"So," I said, getting up and walking over to the fireplace, because it was about time for me to leave, and I had a lot to think about. "I'll tell mum, dad, grandma, grandpa, and, you know, everyone that you lot," I tried to look only at Annabel, but failed and looked at Clarice in spite of myself, "are coming for Christmas. See you!" I jumped into the fireplace and with a _whoosh_ was gone.

* * *

That night I lay awake for _hours_ thinking about my present predicament. I stared out of the window by my bed and watched the muggle cars drive by, thinking. I really was an idiot. Suddenly, the idea of using Valarie as a guinea pig girl friend made me sick...I couldn't even _imagine_ what Clarice would think about it. Steven was right, I wasn't being fair. I couldn't spend all of break with Clarice--I'd crack. But she was so out of bounds, and now I had to take Valarie into consideration. Did I want to break up with her? I definitely did, and I knew I should because it wasn't fair for me to date her when I don't like her. Frankly, she's dull. But, if I wasn't dating Valarie than nothing was going to stop me from asking Clarice out, and I couldn't do that, I just couldn't. I thought and I thought and I thought, and by the time I fell asleep at about 3:00 A.M. (looking forward to a maximum of 5 hours of sleep before I was late for work...) I still had no answers.

**I hope you guys liked that! Tell me about your thoughts in a nice review...**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	33. Perfect

**Hey guys! Be warned, I'm keeping with my "One More Year" mentality on the Valerie subject, and I don't plan to include more than one scene with her total, because I don't want anyone to actually like her, cause that isn't really her purpose. So, if you think I'm not spending any time on her character you're absolutely right. I hope you all like this chapter! It covers Christmas...**

I arrived at the Burrow the day before the Hogwarts lot was going to arrive, which meant I got first dibs on a room. I actually got to have my own room for the first time, since Steven wasn't here and Al would be with Scorpius. I chose my favorite room on the top floor of the Burrow. It was pretty small, but painted a pale blue (though I'd heard stories that it had once been orange, when it belonged to Uncle Ron). It looked over the orchards where we played Quidditch--one of my favorite views in the house. In the distance you could see the mountains. When I was about 14 I decided that I wanted to see the mountains, so Steven and I charmed a trap door into existence that lead to the roof (Grandma and Grandpa _still_ don't know about that, but it's probably better that way...), and at night I loved to go up there. It was hidden though, so on the off chance I _didn't _get the room no one would ever see it or use it. I unpacked all of my things, and then went down to dinner.

Teddy and Victoire had arrived the day before me with Peter, and all of the other adults had been arriving over the past week or so, so everyone was at dinner except all the Hogwarts lot.

"So James," said Uncle George, always the one to bring up subjects I didn't want to talk about, "Who is this girl you've been seeing?"

"James 'as been seeing a girl?" asked Aunt Fleur, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes he has," said Teddy. I sent him a glare at where he sat across the table from me, "Some girl named Valerie."

"I never heard about this!" said Mum, "James, who is she?"

"She's my girlfriend," I said, "We've only been dating for a few weeks."

"Well you must bring her over dear," said Grandma Molly. Oh God, what next?

"Well," I said slowly, "I would, but she's studying very hard at the moment. They've got an exam soon. She works with the healers."

"Really?" asked Dad, "Does she know Emily?"

"Not well I don't think," I said. I _really _didn't want my family checking up on her through Em, "Anyway," I said turning to Vic, hoping to turn the conversation in a new direction, "How's Peter doing? Is he asleep?" He wasn't at dinner, so I knew Vic would have a lot to say on the subject.

"He was really tired from the trip," she said, "And he hasn't been feeling terribly well lately, so we let him sleep."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," I said, but in truth I was glad for the subject change, because the moment Grandma Molly heard that Peter might be sick she went into a complete diagnosis that took about half an hour to complete.

* * *

The Hogwarts lot arrived the next day, and I managed to avoid Clarice successfully for a while, for which I was thankful. I figured that if I didn't see her I would forget about her. Of course that didn't work. At all. But, I felt my effort should at least have been appreciated. Everyone was going to Diagon Ally one day a few days into the holiday, but I elected to stay behind, partly because I wanted to stay away from Clarice, and partly because I didn't want adult supervision when I bought my prank supplies. Scorpius and I were the only ones staying behind, so we decided to go for a fly. While we were getting our brooms out Scorpius decided to broach a subject that I was less than willing to talk about.

"James? Can I ask you a personal question?" asked Scorpius.

"Sure, " I said. I was pretty sure that this was going to be easier to answer than it actually was.

"Why are you going out with Valarie?"

Shit. That hadn't been what I was expecting, and I blurted out the answer without thinking. "Is it _that_ obvious?"

"Is _what_ that obvious?" Wow. Maybe it _wasn't_ that obvious. Well, not that I'd said something I had to come clean.

"The fact that I don't like Valarie even a little bit."

"I get why you don't like her, and I had a feeling you didn't. She's sort of boring and--"

"_Sort of_? You mean maddeningly?" I said, cutting him off. There wasn't any use in him being nice about someone I didn't care a bit about.

"Fine, maddeningly. I just wanted to be nicer. Anyway, why go out with her in the first place?"

"Because," I said, "I'm in love with someone else. Someone completely off limits, for so a lot reasons."

"Who?" he asked. Did I want to tell him? I hadn't even told Steven. But, he knew Clarice, he might know if she liked me. Plus he owed me after all I did for him and Rose, so he wouldn't tell. I decided to take a chance.

"Clarice," I said.

"Longbottom?" he asked, looking somewhere between shocked and horrified.

"How many other Clarice's do we know?" I asked irritably. Honestly, he wasn't making this any easier.

"No way..." he whispered, looking astonished, "Really?"

"No," I said, laying the sarcasm on thick, "I'm making it up."

"Fine," he grumbled, "No need to be snotty about it."

"Sorry," I said, "I'm just a little tense..."

"No kidding," he said, "Listen. I'm not sure what you should do, but it's not fair for you to stay with Valerie when you don't like her," I couldn't help but agree, "At least break up with her, no matter what you decide about Clarice."

"Yeah," I said, "I'll think about it."

* * *

The more I thought about it the more I realized that I _should_ break it off with Val. About a week after my conversation with Scorpius I went over to see her, figuring that I wanted to end it.

"Hey Val?" I said as I walked into her room.

"James?" she said, looking up from her _A Guide to Elementary Healing_. Leave it to her to be studying only a few days before Christmas. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk." I said. No duh.

"Okay," she looked at me expectantly.

"Listen, I really have enjoyed these last few weeks with you, they've been exactly what I needed, and--" I decided to play it nice, but I didn't even get a chance to finish my speech.

"Wait James, don't continue. I need to tell you something. I really like you, and everything, but I think it's best if we break up." Wow. That might have been the first time someone had ever broken up with me. Ever.

"What?" I asked. It was really all I was capable of.

"I just feel like you're distracting me from my work. Maybe in a few years." Unbelievable.

"Yeah, maybe," But I really hoped not.

"So, I'll see you around," she said, returning to her book. She really was dull.

"See ya!" I said, leaving as quickly as I could. I didn't want to hang around there another minute. Just during that conversation with Val made me realize that I really wanted to be with Clarice, and even if Val _hadn't_ been dull I wouldn't have wanted to date her. I wanted to tell Clarice how I felt, but I wasn't going to do it in any ordinary way. I wanted it to be special, and it was going to be.

* * *

I had to do most of my work Christmas night, but there was a bit of prep I did before that. I wrote a note (obviously not in my own handwriting--I'm nothing if not thorough) to her and stuck it in her stocking Christmas morning. _If you want your Christmas present meet me tonight at midnight in the orchards. _I'd thought carefully about the text, because I didn't want to give anything away. I'd given her another present (one that I'd bought weeks ago), so she'd have no idea who sent the note.

Thankfully, everyone was in bed by 11:00, so I was able to go out undetected and get everything ready. We'd had many talks about our childhoods, and during those she'd revealed that she was an ice skater before she wen to Hogwarts, and still loved it. I'd seen her during winter on the lake at Hogwarts, and it was from that I drew my inspiration. I figured out her skate size, and found a pair that would fit her perfectly. I spread water over the snow and froze it with my wand, creating a small ice rink. To finish off I put jars of live fairies (don't even ask how I got a hold of those on such short notice) in the trees along with dozens of magical lights. I wanted it to be dark when she arrived, so that I'd have time to hide, and then I'd light up the place.

At exactly midnight I saw her black silhouette moving across the orchards from the Burrow. I hid myself behind a tree and watched her approach. I quickly put on my skates.

"Hello?" she called softly. I flicked my wand and the entire area lit up. She turned around in awe, her mouth slightly open, her eyes wide. She'd never looked prettier. Her chocolate eyes were shining with honey undertones, and her auburn hair was glowing in the fairy light. She spotted the skates and rushed to put them on, clearly catching up with the plot. I watched her for a few minutes as she twirled around on the ice, spinning and jumping. Then I decided to make my appearance. I skated quietly over to her while she was spinning, so that she wouldn't hear me, and then put my hands over her eyes.

"Who is it?" she laughed. I absolutely loved the sound. I didn't really have a plan past that moment, figuring that I did my best thinking on my feet.

I spun her around but before she could say anything I kissed her. It was perfect. That's the only word that could ever describe it. Perfect. We broke apart after a few moments, and I was glad that my grin was reflected on her own face. I'd been worried about her reactions, but smiles were a good sign.

"Hey," I whispered, afraid that if I spoke to loud it would break the spell.

"You did all of this for me?" she asked, gesturing at the trees.

"Not for you, for Annabel, do you know where she is?" I said with a joking smirk. It was so easy to be myself around her, and I knew she'd appreciate the joke. I continued more seriously, "I've liked you for a really long time,"

"Really?" she asked, "That's funny, because I've liked you since the end of last year." I felt like I was going to fly. She liked me back! I didn't think that I'd ever cared that much about what a girl thought about me. There were butterflies in my stomach, but the good kind.

"Wow," I said, "that's about when I started liking you." I hadn't realized it until that moment, but I really _had_ liked Clarice all that time. It'd been coming on so gradually I hadn't realized it was happening at all.

"I can't believe it took us this long to figure it out," said Clarice.

"I feel like Scorpius and Rose," I said with a laugh.

"At least we're smart enough to work it out on our own," said Clarice.

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that statement, because happy or not I still had a pretty big ego. "Fine, you worked it out, but at least I didn't hit you when you kissed me!" We laughed again at the memory...things always seemed so simple between Rose and Scorpius, and I realized that things between me and Clarice _could've_ been that simple if I'd let them.

We ended up skating for several hours, before falling asleep in the snow. I was afraid to go back to the Burrow and enter the real world, full of questions and consequences. For that night I was happy just to soak up my own joy, and not worry about anything else.

**I hope you all liked this chapter! I hope it wasn't boring or anything! The consequences will be coming up, because the course of true love never did run smooth. I'd LOVE it if you gave me a review, because yesterday WAS my birthday, and I would like nothing more than a simple review as my present.**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	34. With Difficulty

**Hey guys! This has some "One More Year" in it, but also some new stuff, so I don't think you'll be bored. Enjoy!**

The morning after Christmas passed in a flurry of excitement. We told everyone at breakfast about us, and everyone was happy. After breakfast we all went out for a snowball fight, only Al, Rose, Scorpius, and Lorcan weren't there. I thought it was pretty weird, but I didn't care too much at the time. It wasn't until late that afternoon that stuff started to get complicated. _Very_ complicated.

We were all in the living room playing exploding snap (which, if you didn't know, I'm _incredibly _good at) and I, of course, was winning. Al, always the sore loser left halfway through the game. A few minutes after that was when the shouting started. We could all hear Annabel's voice coming from the kitchen, and all of us (adults and kids alike) ran into the hall. Annabel burst through the kitchen door like a tornado, bellowing at Al.

"She's dating your _brother_ Al! Your _brother_! I thought everything was fine between us, and then you dump me out of the blue! You've got a lot of nerve Albus Severus Potter, a lot of nerve, to think that after all this time you can just dump me, while I'm staying at your house! It's all because of her! And you!" she pointed at Clarice in fury. She staggered back a few feet before hitting me. Both of us were stunned. "YOU! How _could_ you do this? What's your secret, huh? Slip love potions into their drinks do you?"

"What?" asked Clarice, looking stunned. None of us had been expecting that. I honestly had no idea what Annabel was blathering about, but it was starting to freak me out just a bit.

"Well they're all mad for you, aren't they? James, Albus, Lorcan! Why do you think he bolted so quickly when he found out about you and James? I bet Hugo even has a crush on you!"

Everyone's heads turned to Hugo, including mine, who put his hands up and said "Don't look at me! No offense Clarice, but I wouldn't date you in a million years. Talk about weird!" By now my jaw was dangling open of its own accord. I honestly had _no_ idea what was going on. Clearly Al had broken up with Annabel (a pretty mean thing to do when she's staying with you for Christmas in my opinion--but then again who am I to judge?), but I had no idea what that had to do with Clarice or Lorcan. He _had _disappeared pretty fast, it was true, but he definitely didn't like Clarice....right?

"Anna..." said Albus softly.

Annabel looked thunderous. Though she normally stood about a head shorter then Albus she towered over him as she said, "You have no right to call me that Albus Severus Potter! I'm leaving! I hope you and James have a fight to the death over Clarice, and I hope _none_ of you survive!" and with that she stormed out the front door. We all stood in complete silence until _long_ after the crack that announced her disapperation.

The silence in the room was louder then any silence in the history of silences. Everyone was looking either at me and Clarice or at Al. The tension was so think you could have cut it with a knife. I wanted an explanation and I wanted it now. What the hell was going on?

"Al," I said, deciding to start with him, "You don't fancy Clarice, do you?"

"Why do you care?" he said angrily. I jumped in shock just a bit. "She chose you, so that's all that matters, isn't it?" and with that he stormed up the stairs. We watched in silence as he stomped up stairs and slammed his bedroom door. I was stunned. Al fancying Clarice? It was absurd! Ludicrous! It was the most shocking thing I'd heard all day...but it was also true.

"Well...." said George, "I fancy a game of exploding snap, don't you? Come on then!" Thankfully, George had decided to be useful and help me out this once, and started shooing all the kids who were uninvolved back into the living room. Most went quietly, but of course Fred and Roxanne made a fuss, but Grandma and Grandpa got them inside. I might have thought the whole thing was funny except that it _so_ wasn't right then.

Soon it was just me, Mum, Dad, Clarice, Rose, Scorpius, Lily, and, to my surprise I must admit, Uncle Ron.

"What's wrong Princess?" Dad asked Lily, who I'd just noticed was crying silently. I couldn't really figure out why, considering _my_ life was the one falling apart.

"First Lysander, now Lorcan! Am I really that disgusting?" cried Lily, before running out towards the door. I tried not to roll my eyes. Really, she was quite dramatic.

"Lysander?" asked Mum.

"We'll explain later," said Rose. Of course, I knew the Lysander story, but what did that have to do with this situation? Or Lorcan for that matter?

"I'll go get her," said Uncle Ron, looking sympathetically at Dad, "And I thought I had it bad when Rose started dating. But, I got the easy end apparently, one boyfriend, whose a decent bloke, and only one daughter to like him," he said, before leaving to find Lily. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit at Uncle Ron's comment, because, as everyone knew, he _hated_ Scorpius for _weeks_ after they started dating. Talk about a revisionist historian...

"Will someone _please_ explain this to me?" said Dad as Uncle Ron left. I had to agree that this was getting pretty annoying for someone who didn't know the whole story.

"Well," said Rose, "It all really started at the beginning of the year," she started by telling the Lysander story, which of course I already knew, but then she told me some stuff that I didn't know. Annabel had liked me? Weird...Even weirder: Al and Lorcan both liked Clarice! I didn't even know about it! I was still in shock. Pure shock. The entire situation was just ridiculous.

"I'm so sorry!" said Clarice once the story was over, she was crying now. "This is all my fault! I ruined everything! I always do!"

"No you didn't," I said. How could she even _think_ that? Before I could stop myself I added. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." I blushed. As everyone knows I'm not one for PDA, and I was so shocked at the totally sappy thing that had just come out of my mouth--even if it _was_ true...

"No one blames you dear," said Mum to Clarice, "This isn't anyone's fault." Finally _someone_ is going to inject sanity into this conversation.

"Maybe," said Clarice, "Maybe, this is wrong. Us, I mean. I really want to be with you, but I can't make you fight with Al, it just isn't right. I'm not really worth it."

"No!" I said, almost panicking. I'd worked so hard to make this work, I wasn't going to let Al ruin it. Before I could stop myself another sappy thing came out of my mouth that I was, again, pretty embarrassed about. "Don't you _dare_ say you're not worth it!"

"For what it's worth," said Harry, "I'm okay with it. I'm just worried about Albus."

"You should go talk to him," said Mum, looking at me. For the third time in my life I was choking on air. I _thought_ Mum was the sane one but _apparently _not.

"Are you mental?" I said after a moment, "He'll kill me!"

"No he won't," said Mum. Honestly, it was like she didn't get what was going on at all..."Anyway, your dad will go with you."

"He will?" I asked, feeling marginally better, until I realized what Dad was saying at the same time.

"I will?" God Dad, thanks for the support...

"Yes," Mum continued, "You three men need to sort this out." It was almost like she thought it was going to help. Unbelievable...maybe _women_ can sort this stuff out by talking, but guys? Please.

Dad and I both sighed in defeat and went upstairs wearily. When we got to Al's room Dad made to open the door, but I motioned for him to stop, and put my ear to it. There weren't any sounds, which suggested that Al wasn't in the 'I'm going to hit everything in sight' mood he sometimes got into when he was upset. That was definitely a good thing. I opened the door to find that the cause of the silence was a lack of Al. I looked around as Dad came in behind me.

"He's gone," said Dad, picking up a slip of parchment from the bed.

"Really?" I said sarcastically, "I hadn't noticed." I took the note from him and read it:

_I'm back at Hogwarts._

Wow. Really wordy...

"HE'S GONE!" shouted Dad as he walked to the door, clearly talking to the others downstairs, "He left a note. He went back to Hogwarts! All his stuff's gone, and everything!"

He and I went back downstairs to find the group looking at us in disbelief.

"Well," said Mum, looking exhausted, "I guess we'll talk about it later."

"I'd better go make sure Lily's okay," said Dad. I was glad _someone_ was going to.

"And I'm going to Luna's," said Mum. Good. Maybe she'd get so fired up she'd hex Lysander and Lorcan into a billion pieces...

"Well," said Rose, looking at Scorpius, "You want to go for a walk?"

"Sure," he said, and the two left hand in hand. That left just me and Clarice.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"It's not you're fault," I said, "Wanna go upstairs?"

"Sure," she said. The night ended on a somewhat relaxing note...though we knew it couldn't last long.

* * *

After that the rest of break seemed extremely uneventful, but in a nice way. I was enjoying spending time with Clarice so much that I hadn't seen Steven since before Christmas, and decided that the day the Hogwarts lot left I'd go see him. The day for their departure on the Hogwarts Express was truly depressing. I went to Platform 9 3/4 with them to see them all off.

Right before Clarice left I asked the question that had been eating away at me, despite the fact that I was _extremely_ embarrassed to ask it. "You won't forget about me will you. Go out with Al, just cause he's closer?"

Clarice rolled her eyes, making me feel even _more_ embarrassed and said, "No I will _not_ go out with Al. You're so cute when you're insecure. I don't reckon you can visit anymore, cause Al will tell on us, but I want you to write every day."

"Twice a day," I said, feeling much better. I gave her a kiss when...

"James, she'll still be the same when she comes for Easter. She'll miss the train!" Ugh. Mum.

"Bye," I said with a grin as she gave me a kiss on the cheek, before heading onto the train.

"Bye!" she called from one of the windows as the train sped away.

"So, she's really worth it?" asked Dad, turning to me once the train sped away. I won't deny that I was slightly insulted by the question.

"Would I risk it all for someone who isn't worth it?" I said coolly before dissapperating to Steven and Em's.

It was a Sunday, so both Steven and Em were home from their various jobs and were in their living room when I apparated into it.

"Holy hell James!" said Steven, who'd dropped his cup of coffee on himself at the sound of my _crack._

"Sorry," I said, without really meaning it.

"What're you doing here?" asked Em, who had managed to keep her coffee in its cup, but still looked startled.

"Yeah," said Steven, "We haven't seen or heard from you in _weeks_. We thought you'd _died._"

"Don't be so melodramatic," I said with an eye-roll, "I _told_ you I was gonna be at the Burrow for the holidays."

"With your mystery girl?" he checked.

"What mystery girl?" asked Em.

"Thanks Steven," I said sarcastically, "_This_ is why I didn't tell you her name."

"Whose name?" asked Em impatiently.

"So she _was_ there!" said Steven in triumph.

"_Who_ was there?" asked Em.

"His mystery girl of course," replied Steven.

"I don't have a mystery girl!" I shouted, which was technically true, because it wasn't a mystery anymore.

"You do too!" he said indignantly, "You told me about her before the holidays."

"And you didn't tell me?" asked Em.

"He told me not to," explained Steven.

"Not like that really stopped you," I muttered.

"I _said_ it was an accident," said Steven.

"No you didn't," I reminded him.

"Well I _thought_ you could infer as much but _apparently _not."

I opened my mouth to reply but Em cut in, saying, "Who the hell _is_ she?"

"I'll tell you," I said, "On one condition."

"What?" asked Steven.

"You have to _promise_ not to take the micky out of me for it, and _not_ to have a laugh about it behind my back."

"Who is this girl?" asked Em, "You make her sound _awful_."

"Wait--" said Steven, who'd clearly just had a brainwave, "What about Valarie?"

"Valarie?" asked Em, "There's no way _she's _the mystery girl. She's dull as a post."

"Don't worry, it's not her," I said to Em before turning to Steven and saying, "Don't worry, I dumped her."

"You dated her?" asked Em in incredulity, "_Why_?"

"He wanted to forget about the mystery girl. Which _clearly_ didn't work, as I predicted might I point out," said Steven.

"Is there anything else about your life you'd conveniently forgotten to tell me?" asked Em, before continuing sarcastically, "Like the fact that you're a superhero, or maybe that you're secretly a vampire?"

I rolled my eyes, and was about to reply when I was interrupted by Steven, who nearly shouted, "JUST TELL ME WHO SHE IS!"

"I will," I sighed, because this was getting old, "But you still haven't promised me."

"But--"

"Oh just promise him!" cut in Em.

"But if it's really funny--"

"He promises," said Em.

"Really?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

He sighed before saying, "Yes."

"Good," I said with a grin, before continuing, "It's Clarice Longbottom."

Em's eyebrow's shot into her hair, and Steven, despite his promise, began to snicker.

"What?" asked Em, as Steven started to laugh, "Clarice Longbottom? As in Professor Longbottom's son? As in the Ravenclaw seventh year?"

"Yeah," I said, before turning to Steven angrily and saying, "What's so funny?"

"It's just that it's so ironic," said Steven through his laughter, "She's the _exact_ person you said you'd _never_ fall for. Straight As in Ravenclaw, can't fly to save her life, a teacher's daughter, quiet, rule-following!" by now he was laughing hysterically.

"Not true!" I said, though, I was perfectly aware that what Steven said was true.

"Yes it is," said Em, who was smiling slightly, "And you know it. But I think it's a good thing."

"You do?" I asked, while Steven just looked at her.

"Yes I do," she said, "I think it's great that you didn't fall for your typical girl, cause maybe that means this one will stick around."

"Fair enough," I said, because I hoped she was right.

"So you guys are officially going out?" confirmed Steven.

"Yep," I said.

"How are you dealing with her still being at Hogwarts?" asked Em.

"With difficulty."

**I hoped you all liked that chapter! The Steven/Em/James scene was really fun to write because I love that friendship, and I feel like I wasn't doing a lot on it lately. I'm gonna finish up anything from "One More Year" (not including the many epilogues) next chapter, and then it will be all new stuff for a long time, so those of you that were bored because you already know how all of this ends fear not, you will soon be reading brand new material. Tell me your thoughts on this one.**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
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	35. Now I Finally Got It

**Hey guys! I'm SO SORRY it took so long! I took all my exams, wrote a term paper, took a Biology SAT Subject Test, and left the country for 2 weeks, so I have a good excuse. I have siriusly (pun intended) had no time. Again: SORRY! Be prepared...this is the longest chapter yet, because this finishes off "One More Year" (or at least all the parts I plan to include). After this it's all new stuff, so if you've read "One More Year," and were getting bored fear not. I included a couple Steven/Em/James scenes in this chapter and next chapter will be all about them, so get excited!**

A few days after the Christmas Holiday ended I was working at the bank again. Work was getting more difficult as I was now six months into my training. I sent Clarice a letter that morning, so I was waiting for a response. I was pleased when Lynx returned during my break at about 10, clutching in his talons a letter from Clarice. I opened it eagerly and read:

_Dear James,_

_Everything here's good. I haven't even started studying for N.E.W.T.s, which, when you're friends with Rose and Scorpius, makes you feel like a slacker. I'm friends with Annabel again, she wanted me to let you know that she's apologizing, because she feels awful about what she said to me and to you that day. Well, mostly to me, but she wanted me to tell you sorry too. Rose and Scorpius are good, and I was-_

And then it stopped. Just like that. I read it again to see if I'd missed something, because Clarice wouldn't just stop right in the middle of a sentence. There was an ink stain covering the bottom half of the parchment, and the lettering was a tiny bit smeared. I couldn't imagine a reason that Clarice would send me a half completed letter unless something was wrong. I tried not to panic (with difficulty, might I add) and grabbed the nearest slip of parchment, on which I wrote:

_Are you okay? What's going on?_

I gave it to Lynx and watched him fly away feeling nervous. I had a really bad feeling about this...

* * *

Twenty minutes later Lynx _still_ hadn't replied, and Clarice would surely have replied if she thought I was worried. Another twenty minutes passed and I really was getting frantic. I told Michael, the curse-breaker instructor, that I had to go to the bathroom (pretty childish, I know, but I was panicking), and then headed for the nearest fireplace. I decided I would floo to the Ravenclaw Common Room (probably not too good an idea in hind site, considering _anyone_ could've been there), and track down Clarice from there.

I jumped into the green flames, and was whisked off to the Ravenclaw Common Room to find a truly unbelievable sight.

"What's going on?" I asked. I saw Al with his wand pointed at Scorpius and Rose, with Annabel hovering behind them. There were burn marks on most of the walls from what looked like curses, but still no sign of Clarice. The portrait above the mantle had fallen onto the mantle, which had crumbled, and was now covering..."CLARICE!" I rushed forward and pulled her out.

"Oh my God!" cried someone, I think Rose, and then she and Annabel were with me at Clarice's side. I could only assume that Al and Scorpius were behind us.

"What happened to her?" I demanded. I felt gingerly around her arm to see where I thought the bone was broken, because it definitely was considering the angle it was at when I found her.

"Ask them," said Annabel, and I turned to see her pointing at Scorpius and Albus, who were, indeed, behind us.

"I really don't know," said Scorpius, "She was in here when we arrived, and then wands came out, and...I don't remember what happened to her." I was furious. What idiots! Why on earth would they _duel _over this?

Everyone looked at Albus, who said, "I...I don't know," he looked close to tears, "Tell her I'm sorry," and with that he ran from the room. Good riddance. He was really the cause of all of this...but he was still my brother, and he was hurting. You can imagine the difficulty of my position. But I didn't have time to deal with Al, cause Clarice really needed help.

"We have to get her to the hospital wing," said Scorpius, and he was right. I decided I would revive her and see how she was feeling.

"_Enovate,_" Her eyes fluttered open-she; really looked feeble.

"James?" she looked around confusedly, "What-What happened?" she tried to sit up, but I put a hand on her shoulder to keep her down, as did several others. She looked far to weak to even _think_ about sitting up-let alone act on it.

"Where does it hurt?" Rose asked.

"Everywhere," she groaned, closing her eyes. That was not a good sign.

"We have to move her," said Annabel. The thought of moving her was daunting, but we had to. I picked her up gently and carried her out of the Common Room, the others following behind me. Annabel stayed behind to clean up, and we all headed to the Hospital Wing. When we got there Clarice had fallen asleep. I set her down by the bed as Madam Pomfrey came bustling in.

"What happened to her?" she asked looking shocked. She then did a double take I would've found funny at any other moment and said to me, "Mr. Potter, what are _you_ doing here? Shouldn't you be at the bank?"

"Oh crap!" I muttered. I'd forgotten to explain why I wasn't back at work. Luckily Lynx had followed me, and I was able to scribble down a note to Uncle Bill, who would cover for me.

"What happened?" repeated Madam Pomfrey, who was now examining Clarice.

"Well," said Rose, "We were all in Ravenclaw Common Room, and Scorpius, Al, and I were practicing our stunning spells for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Clarice was writing a letter to James by the fire. But then, Scorpius' stunning spell missed and hit the mantle, and it fell on her. We cleaned it up, but thought we should take her to you." It was a pretty lame story in my opinion, and I was starting to wish I'd explained, except that then I wouldn't be able to claim that I wasn't there when it happened (which is true).

Apparently Madam Pomfrey didn't believe the story, not very surprising in my opinion, because she said, "Hmmm...well, Professor McGonagall will be having a word with you about what _really_ happened later. In any case her skull is cracked, her right wrist is broken, as is her right hip, and her right calf. Her entire right side is pretty ripped up, but the left side seems fine, apart from a nasty cut on her left forearm. Also, some of her ribs are broken, and they're putting some unhealthy pressure on her right lung, but I'll be able to patch her up alright. I'll keep her in over night. You wait here for a moment." she raised her want, and out burst two silvery cranes, one of which flew out of the hospital wing, and in the direction of McGonagall's office, while the other flew out the window towards the green houses. Great. Me, McGonogall, and Uncle Neville all in the same room-just like old times...Still, I had more important things to worry about. I was stunned. How could one person sustain so many injuries so quickly. At least she was gonna be alright...

Annabel arrived a minute later and she, Rose, and Scorpius all settled into chairs. I didn't sit down with them though, I just watched Madam Pomfrey work.

Clarice woke up after a few minutes, and Madam Pomfrey left to get her some potion. I sat down by her bed and said, "How do you feel?"

"Fine," she replied, "My head's a little soft, but not painful."

"Good," I said with a grin, "Leave it to you to be in the hospital wing three days into term."

She laughed too, "I guess that is pretty sad..."

"Yeah, but-" suddenly the door opened, and in came Uncle Neville, McGonagall, and Al. _Great_: McGonagall, Uncle Neville, me, _and_ Al all in one room together. It was gonna be some party.

"Clarice!" said Uncle Neville, rushing over to Clarice. I stood up and tried to fade into the background.

"Dad, I'm fine," she said, rolling her eyes. It was _so_ like her to play down major bodily injuries...

"What happened to you?" he asked. Well, this was about to get interesting.

"I...I don't really know," he looked at her, and I have to admit it sounded pretty weird. She continued, "I mean, I was unconscious before any of this happened," she pointed to her bandage turban that Madam Pomfrey had put on her to help her skull heal.

"James?" asked Uncle Neville, turning to me. Apparently I hadn't been too good at fading into the background. I gulped. This was in no way _my_ fault, but if Uncle Neville got that idea into his head he wouldn't let me go out with Clarice any more...

"Don't look at me," I said, "I didn't arrive until after it was all over."

"Well, then, who _does_ know what happened?" asked McGonagall, who seemed incredulous at the possibility that I wasn't involved in this. I wasn't sure if that insulted me or made me very proud.

"Well," said Scorpius, "Al and I had a fight, and-"

"I pulled out my wand," said Albus, "and I tried to jinx him, so he pulled out his wand, and we dueled. Clarice tried to stop us, she put up a shield charm, and then one of my stunning spells bounced off the shield and hit her. Then one of our spells, I don't know whose, hit the mantle, and it fell on Clarice. Scorpius stopped fighting, but I wouldn't, and then James arrived, and we discovered Clarice was hurt." Wow. Al had just shouldered all the blame basically. He deserved it, but still...

"Well," said McGonagall, "You, Mr. Potter, will receive detention every Friday for the next month, my office. Mr. Malfoy, you will join him. Be warned, Mr. Malfoy, If you had started that fight, or are in another one again, you will loose your badge."

And with that she swept from the hall. She had a habit of doing that-inflicting punishment and then sweeping away. After seven years of Hogwarts I'd learned that McGonagall never just _walked_ away after punishing someone, she'd _sweep_ away. It really was disconcerting, especially for the person on the receiving end.

Uncle Neville turned back to Clarice and said, "Sweetie, _please_ rest. Your mother will kill me if she finds out about this," and once he received a nod from Clarice he left. I couldn't help but snigger at that...Hannah Longbottom had a notorious temper and watching Uncle Neville try to evade it was always something to enjoy.

"Listen," I said to Clarice, "I really wish I could stay, but I've got to get back to work. I ditched, and Uncle Bill is covering for me, but I really need to get back."

"Okay," she said, smiling slightly.

"Bye," I said, leaning in a giving her a light kiss before leaving the Hospital Wing. I walked through the castle, making sure to stop in the Great Hall and check that our message was still there (it was). I walked through the grounds, and then reached the gate. I opened it up, and then closed it securely, before disapperating.

* * *

A night and ten days before the Easter holidays started I was at home in my apartment with Steven and Em, when Rowan brought me a letter.

I opened up the letter, curious, but that curiosity evaporated when I realized the letter wasn't from Rose, but from Clarice. Clearly she hadn't wanted to use a school owl, and she didn't have her own

_Dear James,_

_I hope everything with you is good, and that you haven't blown up the bank yet. I'd love to spend Easter at the Burrow! I'm just a little bit worried because Al is going to be there. He still isn't talking to me or Rose or Scorpius, but he started talking to Annabel again, or rather, Annabel started talking to him. She says that he doesn't hate us anymore, but that he's to stubborn to admit it. I hope she's right. I'll see you soon (exactly ten days). Missing you!_

_Clarice_

I smiled.

"Who's that from?" asked Em. She and Steven were looking at flowers. They had narrowed it down between white lilies and white roses for the bouquet, quite an accomplishment, considering that earlier that evening they had about twenty different options (all in all white though). Their color scheme was emerald green and gold, to match Em's engagement ring, which was an emerald. Em had picked the bridesmaid dresses as well, emerald green, strapless, knee-length Vera Wang dresses. They had a belt (also in emerald green) that had a small, subtle bow on it. Steven had told her about Vera Wang, and she'd fallen in love with her, so had decided on those instead of ones from the wizarding world. Normally I wouldn't have paid much attention to the bridesmaid dresses, but Em had assaulted me with photos of hundreds of dresses only a week ago, and something that scaring is not something a bloke will forget easily.

"Clarice," I replied, "She's coming to the Burrow for Easter so-"

"So we won't see you again after tonight for at least another three weeks?" asked Steven, looking somewhere between exasperated and smirky.

"No," I said in a dignified voice, "Don't you remember, their Easter Holiday only lasts _two_ weeks." They both laughed.

"You're bringing her to the wedding, right?" asked Em. I hadn't realized that was an option before.

"Can I? I didn't think the best man got to have a plus one."

"Of course you can bring her," said Steven, "I'm _dying_ to see what's so special about her."

"Me too," said Em, "Did you really think we wouldn't invite her?" I was touched, but didn't intend to say anything about it. Steven and Em had decided on a pretty tight guest list, so them including Clarice on their special day when they didn't even know her showed that they trusted my judgment and wanted to get to know her. _Obviously_ I wasn't going to say that, but it still made me happy.

"Okay," I said, "I'll be sure to invite her."

"Just don't break up with her the day of," said Steven, "Remember Marissa."

I shuttered.

* * *

Unfortunately, I had to remember Marissa again the next day. Clarice had written to me that morning saying that Al had apologized and wanted to see me, so I came to the Heads' Common Room after work. Clarice, Rose, Scorpius, and Annabel were all waiting for me.

"Hey you," I said, giving Clarice a kiss. We were interrupted by Al though.

He cleared his throat and said, "Guys?"

I turned to see him, and said, "Hey Al," wearily. He _said_ he was sorry, but did he really_ mean_ it?

"I have to go," said Al. What? What was the point of me being there then? "but I wanted a friend to meet you. It's been a while since you've seen her James. Come on in, Marissa." I took a breath. There was no way he would stoop that low. I knew he was upset, but _seriously_! I glanced at Rose, who looked horrified, Scorpius and Annabel looking clueless beside her. Clarice looked curiously at me.

She looked pretty much the same. Still dressed to kill in heels and all, straight blond hair, tall, exactly the way she'd looked the last time I'd seen her at Teddy and Vic's wedding. She walked up to me and slapped me across the face. It wasn't like I didn't deserve it, so I decided to let it be. "You bastard. That's for that day...I never got to repay you properly. Well, actually I did, but apparently you need a refresher. Clarice," she looked at Clarice, wearing her 'I'm pretending to be nice' face, "It is Clarice right?" Clarice nodded. "I would get out now, while you still can, once you hear what he's capable of."

"Clarice, listen," I said, looking right into her eyes. I had to get this message across before Marissa did something to ruin my life, "it was a long time ago, that's not who I am anymore."

"What's going on?" she asked, looking weary.

"Why yes, Marissa," said Albus with a smirk, I wanted to punch him for it, "Clarice doesn't know the story. I'm sure that Scorpius and Annabel are rather curious as well. Why don't you tell them?"

"How dare you?" growled Rose, "Get out! Both of you!"

"I'm doing her a favor Rose," said Marissa, "As her best friend I thought you'd want what's best for her, and James isn't. You know what happened that summer." Oh God, she was actually gonna do it...

"What happened?" asked Scorpius, earning him a kick from Rose. I was glad she did it, cause if she hadn't I would've. "You idiot!" whispered Rose, "Stop making it worse!"

"Why, I'd _love _to tell you," said Marissa, sitting down.

"Clarice, how many serious boyfriends have you had?" asked Marissa as we all sat down around her.

"Define serious," said Clarice carefully, and that made me worried. How many had she had? Jealousy rose up inside me, before I realized that I had a lot more serious issues to worry about.

"You dated for four months or more," specified Marissa.

Clarice thought for a moment before saying "Three."

"Are you counting James?" asked Marissa curiously.

"No," said Clarice, "We've only been dating three months." Ouch. That hurt.

"I thought we were serious," I said, trying not to sound hurt.

"We are, but we haven't been dating four months yet," said Clarice, and I felt a tiny bit better.

"Now," said Marissa, "When these three relationships ended, who ended it? You or the guy?"

"Well," said Clarice, "I ended two of the three, and the guy ended other one." Who in their right mind would break up with her? It was mind boggling...

"How did that feel?" asked Marissa. Oh God...she was setting it up beautifully. It was sick. Why would Al do this to me?

"Terrible," said Clarice, "Miserable. But, in hindsight it was _definitely_ better for me."

"Just," said Marissa, "Keep that in mind as the story proceeds, okay?" Clarice nodded. I groaned. It was starting. I knew that Clarice deserved to know, but this isn't exactly how I'd planned on telling her..."So, James and I started going a month before fourth year ended. We went out all summer too. The day of our four month anniversary he ended it-"

"That's all he did?" interrupted Clarice. If only...

"No," said Marissa darkly, "That is _not_ all he did. I was pretty torn up about it, I really liked him. I thought I might even have loved him, so you can imagine how upset I was. He ended it a week before we went back to Hogwarts, so I'd had a little time to get used to the idea before I saw him again, but I was still really upset. Then, on the train he told me he wanted to try again. I was really excited, because I'd missed him a lot, and he said he'd really missed me. So, all that day we went out, sat on the train together, and then at dinner together, even though I wasn't a Gryffindor I sat with them. Everyone saw, and all the girls were really jealous, because everyone was always jealous of the girl who was dating James. Then, he snogged me right in front of everyone. I was so happy we were back together, but then, the next morning he told me the truth." God-this was gonna get ugly.

"Marissa!" I decided I should at least _try_ to intervene before it was too late, "I apologized later. I really am sorry about what I did, but I was only fifteen. I was a real idiot then!"

Marissa snorted, before continuing, "I found out that morning, that the only reason he'd gotten back together with me was to make Page Zabini, a Ravenclaw in our year, jealous. The entire school heard about it. Page was a real bitch, so she spread the story far and wide once she and James started going out. It was humiliating to have everyone know how I had been used. That's why you shouldn't go out with him. He never sticks with a girl past the four month mark, and if he does it won't be long before he uses her. You seem really nice Clarice, don't let him do that to you." I knew Marissa didn't really believe what she was saying, and that was the worst of it. She was just doing this out of spite, and my brother-my traitorous brother-was helping her. It made me sick. "When Al wrote to me I was really glad, because I didn't want another poor, innocent girl to have to suffer what I did," and then she threw me that infuriating smirk, so that the others wouldn't see. Then she left. The room was silent for a moment as we all watched Clarice, waiting for a reaction.

"Is that true?" asked Clarice. I wanted so badly to tell her it wasn't, because she'd believe me...but she deserved to know-this just isn't how I'd planned on telling her.

"Clarice," I said, "That was a long time ago. It's different with you, I-"

"Is it true?" she demanded, tears running down her cheeks. I could see in her eyes the silent plea for me to deny it, and the fact that I couldn't made me sick.

"Yes," I whispered. I don't think I've ever felt so low. "But, I really care about you. I-I love you." I didn't completely know what my plan was going into that sentence, but it certainly hadn't been _that_. It wasn't until it was out of my mouth that I realized it was true...

"Did you tell her that to?" asked Clarice as she stood up. She looked so angry it broke my heart. "How do I know if anything you've said to me is real?" She left without another word, but I could've sworn I heard a sob as the portrait hole slammed.

"Clarice!" I said, though I knew there was no way she'd hear me. I stood up and sprinted out of the Head's Common Room. I figured she'd be going back to the Ravenclaw Common Room, so that was where I directed my feet.

I ran as fast as I could. I caught sight of her as I entered the corridor leading to the Ravenclaw Common Room. She answered the question before I could hear it, and slammed the door. I arrived only a few seconds later, panting.

_"What is the solution to every lover's quarrel?" _asked the bird in it's sing-song voice. Unbelievable. What type of bird was this, a mind reader? Didn't I have enough issues without having to deal with a rude, sarcastic bird?

"Apologize?" I said. It was a pretty lame guess in my opinion, and apparently the bird thought so too, because the door didn't open.

"Explain?" I tried again. Still the door remained shut. There _is_ a reason I'm not in Ravenclaw you know...

I thought about what I wanted Clarice to hear most at that moment, and it came to me. "I love you."

_"Well said, but I'm not the one who needs to hear it." _said the bird, and the door swung open. Really, what did this bird know about anything? It's a _bird_! Since when did bloody birds fall in love?

I saw her curled up in an armchair, and was glad she didn't go up to her dormitory, because I didn't really have a plan for getting up there.

"Clarice," I said, deciding to make my presence known while I was still a good distance away. I'd been slapped enough for one evening.

She looked up, surprised and asked, "How did you get in?"

"I answered the question." I replied. I admit it wasn't the brightest response ever, but both of us were kind of in a zen mode. The entire situation didn't quite seem real, and I could tell she felt it too.

"Oh," there was a horribly awkward silence, and I contemplated saying something, but Clarice spoke first "What do you want?"

"To talk." Wow. That was a really intelligent response James! Clearly my brain was suffering from trauma.

"So talk." Well that wasn't much help...though in all honesty I didn't really deserve more than that.

"Clarice," he said, kneeling down right in front of her, forcing her to look at me. I decided to start with a question, because everyone knows that's my favorite way to start difficult conversations. "You can't honestly think that I'm that person anymore, can you?"

"How am I supposed to know?" she asked. I decided to do something I rarely did. I _always_ had a planned line when I talked to girls. I could tell what they were thinking, and I knew exactly what to say. I never, _ever_, did anything spur of the moment when it came to girls, because the generic lines just flew off the tip of my tongue. But, now, I was just going to speak without thinking, and see what came out of my mouth...I dangerous thing to do, considering this is _me_ we're talking about.

"If I was still that person, do you think I would be here now. If I was still such a horrible git do you think I would put in the effort to find you? Clarice, I _care_ about you. I can't survive without you. You're so amazing. You're funny, smart, compassionate, caring, and just perfect. I really want you to believe me. I would _never_ use you like that, because I can't bear the thought of losing you." Parts of that _might_ have been an overstatement at the time, I will admit, but at 19 it's easy to do that. I still meant what I said.

"I'll bet that's what you told her," she said. I decided once again not to think before talking, which in hindsight probably wasn't the best idea, but it actually worked out.

"Clarice, no. You're the only person I've ever cared about this much that wasn't related to me, and to be honest I don't really care this much about most of my relatives," I was glad to see we were at the stage where she'd still laugh at my jokes, always a good sign..."I want us to work. _Please_ trust me. I know that you know deep inside that that's not who I am anymore. I haven't been that person for a while. Clarice, I was _fifteen_! How many people are mature at fifteen? I changed, and by the middle of sixth year I was looking back on who I was with disgust. I still do. Whenever I think about what I did to her I feel truly awful. It's one of the worst things I've ever done in my life." That hadn't really been what I'd been planning on, cause I normally don't let mushy things like that come out of my mouth, even when I'm thinking them, but this was a time for desperate measures, and I was definitely thinking it.

"I want to believe you," she said, "But how can I be sure? I want to trust you, but I don't know if things can go back to the way they were." That hurt, I won't lie. It's not like I didn't deserve it, but still...

"Clarice, no matter what you say I'm not going anywhere. I'll do whatever it takes to earn your trust again. I love you." That was _definitely _the least planned of anything I'd had to say, but I realized as I was saying it how true it was. I wasn't going to give up. I'd make her trust me again because I loved her.

I was glad to see that my heartfelt speech had won her over, because she lurched forward and gave me a hug, whispering "I love you too." I honestly felt like flying...

* * *

The next three months of my life passed in a flurry of getting involved in other people's lives, which, as I'm sure you've noticed, is something I _love_ to do. Steven and Em's wedding was getting closer and closer, so a lot of my time was spent on that. I also had to devote a good two weeks on getting Rose and Scorpius back together after _their_ break up, not any easy task, I'm telling you, but everyone knows I love drama as long as it's not mine (and sometimes when it's mine, I won't lie). Al and I made up during the Easter Holidays, and though it was really awkward at first, I was glad to have my brother back.

However, as June approached, bringing with it the end of the Hogwarts school year, my mind began to turn to finding a new place to live. I had enough money now to buy a bigger place, but it had to be just right. I decided to ask Steven and Em about finding a place without Clarice's help, because I wanted it to be a surprise, and a birthday present.

"You've kidding, right?" asked Steven when I brought the subject up.

"What?" I asked, slightly offended.

"_Last_ year, you made fun of me for asking Em to move in-"

"He did?" interrupted Em.

"I was just _surprised_!" I said quickly, "And at least I'm warning you guys, unlike _somebody_ I know."

"It was supposed to be a secret!"

"Well _that's _why he didn't tell you," said Em, "Everyone knows you can't keep any secrets except your own." I felt rather insulted at my friends' lack of faith in my, I must admit.

"Can we get back to the subject on hand?" I asked, "How do I pick a house?"

"Don't ask me," said Steven, "_You're _the one dating her. You have to know something about her if you're asking her to move in with you."

"Yeah," said Em, "This is something you've got to do on your own. Plus, how do you expect _us_ to help? We've never even met her!"

I sat in silence, thinking for a bit, while Steven and Em arranged a seating chart for the reception. Suddenly, Steven burst out laughing.

"What?" I asked irritably, though I was pretty sure I knew where this was going.

"Nothing, nothing," he said through peals of laughter, "It's just that it's so _funny_."

Em smiled indulgently. Clearly _she_ understood the joke and just didn't find it as funny as Steven.

"Oh come _on _Em, you know you think it's funny!" said Steven as she watched Em slowly start to snigger.

"_What_ about this is funny?" I asked.

"It's just that you, James Potter, the boy who fears commitment, showed up here to ask about how to pick a house for you and your girlfriend to move into..." replied Steven, still sniggering, "I mean _really_ James, don't you see the irony at all?"

I admit I _could_ see the irony just a _tiny_ bit, but I wasn't going to let Steven know that. There was _no_ way I was giving him the satisfaction. "No, I don't. And I do _not_ fear commitment!" I added.

"Not _anymore_," said Em, "But if you're going to try to deny that you feared it before dating Clarice I'll know for sure you've gone round the bend."

"Fine," I said, "In the past I've been known to have slight issues with commitment, but that isn't really what I came here to talk about. I wanted to ask how to pick a house, but since you people _clearly _have no good advice I'm off to look at real estate."

And with that I left them to their seating charts, both still sniggering in a way that was truly maddening.

* * *

I went to more houses and apartments than I could count before I found the right one. I knew it was perfect the moment I stepped in the door. It was on the thirty-seventh floor of an apartment building, and because of that every room had an amazing view, which was the first thing I loved about it. The first room that people would see when they come in is the living room, which was of a good size, and has a window instead of a wall opposite the door, which shows all of the city (London-which was perfect cause it was close to work for me and Clarice). There's a fireplace in the far right corner too, which I think really adds. The whole apartment has wood floors, except obviously the kitchen and bathroom, which is perfect. It's very modern, and has a good flow. After the fireplace in the living room there's a corner that leads to the dining room, which flows into the kitchen. The whole apartment's very modern, which is most obvious in the kitchen, which has all stainless steel appliances, limestone counters, light wood cabinets, and stone flooring made of huge, dark gray stones. The room I knew Clarice would love the most was the library, which doubled as an office. The office part has bookshelves at the end covering one of the walls, and there's a ladder next to the shelves which leads up to an enormous loft full of bookshelves, which I planned to fill with all of our favorites. There were 4 bedrooms and 4 full baths, as well as 2 half baths, and I couldn't help thinking about how good a size the apartment would be for a family-though I obviously would _never_ admit that to _anyone_, at least, not for a _long_ while. The thought was terrifying...I decided not to pick out furniture without Clarice, because I knew she'd want to do it, but I was pleased with my choice, and now just had to wait until her birthday, June 1st, to tell her. I really didn't think I could wait that long, but I managed.

For Clarice's birthday, the day of their last N.E.W.T., Defense Against the Dark Arts, we all planned a surprise party, the biggest surprise being that I would be there. I hadn't sent Clarice any present or card, which I felt marginally bad about, but I felt the surprise would be better if she thought I'd forgotten her birthday all together. So, I arrived at Hogwarts at about 6:00 that Friday. I flooed into the Heads' Common Room as usual, where everyone was setting up.

I looked around and saw Al, Annabel, Scorpius, Lily, Hugo, Sydney, Rachel, the Scamander twins, Roxanne and Fred, but no Rose. "Rose is with Clarice?" I checked.

"Yeah," said Scorpius, "They're at dinner."

"Good," I said. I began to help with set up, and while doing so observed the interactions between Lorcan and Lily carefully. They'd been going out since the Easter holidays and I wanted to get a sense of him. I obviously had known him since childhood, but you look at a bloke differently when he's dating your little sister, trust me. Suddenly, I heard the portrait door open, and threw the invisibility cloak over my head as fast as possible, and was glad that Clarice hadn't seen me. The rest of the group shouted, "SURPRISE!" and Clarice broke into a grin.

She began traveling from person to person hugging everyone, when I decided to reveal myself, "What? No hug for me?" I asked, taking off the cloak.

Clarice ran over and kissed me, which in _my_ opinion is definitely better than I hug. When we broke apart I whispered, "Happy Birthday."

She grinned and said, "I knew you wouldn't forget."

"Not true!" piped in Rose, "She was very worried when she hadn't heard from you. It was down right depressing...watching her mope around. I could've given her the Eiffel Tower and she wouldn't have cared." I have to admit that that made me feel better about myself, and about what I was going to ask her...

Clarice rolled her eyes as everybody laughed.

"I got you something," I said, before mentally kicking myself, because I did_ not_ have it in my to ask her in front of everyone. I knew that asking important questions in public was _never_ going to be something I'd go for. I couldn't even do what Teddy did, and propose to Vic in front of the family...talk about embarrassing-and if she'd said _no_...

"I thought _you_ were my present," she replied.

"Okay. I'll take it back then," I joked, though _obviously_ it wasn't something I could take back.

She giggled and said, "No! Give it!"

"Alright," I said, with my best overly dramatic sigh, "Later. Let's enjoy the party."

Because everyone but me had just finished with N.E.W.T.s the party everyone was more excited than they'd usually be, so the party got into full swing very quickly. However, by about 1:00 am it was just me, Clarice, Al, Annabel, Rose, and Scorpius left. We were all sitting together around the fireplace. Me and Clarice were on the couch with Rose and Scorpius, and Al and Annabel had the two armchairs. I won't deny that I felt kind of bad for them, being the singles among couples all the time...

"You know what?" I said after a few moments of silence, deciding to run my observations about Lorcan by the rest of them.

"What?" asked Clarice.

"I've decided I like Lorcan, I think he'll be a good edition to the family," I said seriously.

"You act like their getting married!" giggled Rose. She acted like there was no chance it'd happen.

I shrugged, "You never know. Any boyfriend could end up the husband. Why do you think we gave Scorpius psycho analysis before letting him into the group?" Honestly, for someone so smart she really had no common sense.

"But we weren't even dating!" protested Rose.

"Yeah, but it was obvious to _everyone_ (except you of course) that you would," I said, and I couldn't help rolling my eyes. Of _course_ we all knew they'd end up dating, and there was a pretty good chance they'd get married. I'd reconciled myself to the idea of Scorpius as a cousin-in-law a _long_ time ago...

A few minutes later Rose fell asleep, so Scorpius took her up to her room before going to bed.

"Well, I'm going to bed," said Al a few minutes after that, and I was getting a little bit nervous, because once they all left it was time-and that thought was terrifying.

"Me too," said Annabel, and they stood up to leave together. I couldn't help thinking that there was something going on between the two again, or would be very soon, but I didn't really have much time to think about it.

As they left Clarice said, "You still haven't given me my present." Well, that was my cue.

"Your right," I said, taking the small wrapped box out of my pocket, and sitting up, taking a deep breath.

She took the box out of my hand and unwrapped it to find a ring box. I saw a look of shock on her face, before she opened the lid, and somewhere in the recesses of my brain I wondered what that was about, but I didn't really have time to think about it, because she had just pulled out the key.

"What's this go to?"

I smiled, "Oh, nothing...Just my new apartment." I never really got to ask my question, but that didn't really bother me. She lunged forward and kissed me, which I was assuming meant 'yes'.

"So...is that a yes to the question I never got to ask?" I asked, pulling away.

"Yes," said Clarice, beaming, and I couldn't help grinning too.

I realized over the next couple weeks that in one year I'd gotten my life put together in a way I couldn't have imagined last year. Partly because I wouldn't be able to imagine a life so perfect for me, and partly because only a year ago and the thought of falling in love and moving in with a girl was totally foreign and not something that appealed to me in the slightest. As I watched Steven and Em go through the final preparations for their wedding I realized what Steven had meant after her proposed to Em. _Of course you don't get it. You've never been in love. But once you have you'll get it. _Now I finally got it.

**I hope you all liked that-especially after the horribly long wait: again, SORRY! So, drop me a review and tell me what you thought! Get excited, cause next chapter is Steven and Em's wedding!  
**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	36. Starting to Understand Marriage

**Hey guys! It's time for a wedding! I had a lot of fun with this chapter, and I hope you all like reading it as much as I liked writing it.**

July was getting closer, which meant that Steven and Em's wedding was too, which meant that I suddenly found myself spending hours in Steven and Em's apartment with them and Clarice, who Em liked a lot. They were never gonna be best friends, but I didn't mind that so much, at least they got along well. The wedding was taking place on July 17th, and between June and then a lot of stuff had to happen. The caterer backed out three weeks before the wedding because they'd double-booked the day, and the other party was bigger, and therefore paying more, so Em had a freak out about that, and we all had to go through the endless taste-testings a second time, as if the first time wasn't bad enough. Don't get me wrong, I like eating, but tasting 13 different types of cake isn't really how I like to spend my afternoons, call me crazy. As the wedding got closer I also had to deal with Steven's sudden onset of nerves...thank God Sophie (Em's maid of honor/sister) was dealing with Em's issues, cause I could only deal with one best-friend-breakdown at a time. One of his worst ones happened a week before the wedding.

We were sitting in mine and Clarice's apartment just relaxing when Steven said, "Hey, James, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Do you ever get worried that you're gonna screw it up with Clarice?"

"All the time," I said, and I'm ashamed to say that that comment might have been my most tact-less in my life. It wasn't until the words were out of my mouth that I realized where this was going, so I back-tracked, and _fast_. "But, I know what you're gonna say, and you don't need to worry about it. The only reason _I_ worry about it is that we all know I've had commitment issues in the past, and this relationship thing is still somewhat new to me. You and Em have been together for over two _years_, if you were gonna screw it up you would've already."

"Yeah, but being married is a little different than just dating..." said Steven, "And since I'm new to the marriage thing that means I could mess it up as easily as you could."

"But you won't," I replied, "Because you and Em are perfect for each other. You were the one who proposed, remember? You're just nervous cause the wedding's getting close."

"Yeah, but she deserves someone amazing who can take care of her. She's perfect...how am I good enough for that?" God, I really hoped he was getting it all out of his system, cause this was getting ridiculous.

"First of all, this is Em we're talking about. I think she'd be mildly insulted if she heard you saying she needs taking care of. Secondly, she wants _you_, whether you deserve it or not. If you back out now because of nerves it'll only make _her_ unhappy, and is that what you want?"

"No, but-"

"No buts," I said, cutting him off. This had gone far enough in my opinion. Apparently this was a part of the best-man's job description, but it didn't mean that I was willing to deal with it forever. "You love Em and Em loves you, and you both are going to be really happy, so _relax_. You both are my best mates and I _know_ this is gonna work out."

We sat in silence for a moment before Steven said, "You're right. I was being stupid."

"And to think I was worried about having to give you the 'Em's my best mate and if you're not good to her...' speech. Apparently you've given it to yourself about a bazillion times."

He rolled his eyes and said, "Be nice."

* * *

July 17th dawned bright and early, and everyone was getting ready for the wedding starting at 6:00 AM. Now, as a guy that doesn't like to be up until _long_ after the sun has risen, getting up _before_ was just torture. However, I did have some work to do, so I got up without complaint. They were getting married at Em's place, which I'd never seen before. When I arrived with Steven at about 7:00 I went into shock. It was _enormous_. Clearly it was hundreds of years old, she had boatloads of land, and the house itself was a grand country manor...it was ridiculous.

"Big, right?" said Steven.

"Are you joking?" I said, "This is _huge_. How did I not know Em's family was loaded?"

"They like to downplay the money thing as much as possible."

"No kidding," I said, "Well, we'd better go get ready."

Steven went to the room assigned to him to get dressed, while I went to go check and see if Daniel and Robert were here already. They were, for once, on time, thank God, cause if they hadn't been I was pretty sure Em would've killed them. I then went to check on Em, who was with Sophie getting ready. I have to admit I was feeling pretty sappy when I saw her in her dress. Em had been one of my best friends since we were 11, and now at age 19 she was getting _married_.

"Wow, Em," I said, as Sophie bustled out to get the flowers, "You look really pretty." And she did. She was wearing a strapless gown, obviously in white. It was simple, but very elegant.

"Thank you," said Em, looking slightly surprised, "I'll take that as quite a compliment coming from you."

I rolled my eyes, "Don't ruin the moment, Em."

She smiled, before giving me a hug.

"You and I can still be friends once you guys are married right?" I said, in truth it'd been something that had been bothering me for a while, "I mean, you're not going to totally change personality, are you?"

"Oh James," she said, "People don't go through a metamorphosis after they get married, they've been changing for a long time, and the wedding marks the end of that change, not the beginning. If you're still my friend now I don't think things are gonna change after I say 'I do'."

"And you're sure about this," I said, "Cause I'll feel like a real idiot if after telling Steven all week you're not gonna run for it you actually _do_."

Em laughed, "No, I'm not gonna run for it."

"Well," I said, "As Sophie came back with the bouquet, "I'd better go. I've got a groom to deal with."

I gave Em one last hug before leaving, feeling like I was actually starting to understand marriage-as crazy as that sounds...

* * *

We all took our places in the backyard at 4:30. The time had been planned exactly based on the time the sun was supposed to set, and Em had looked at about a 1000 star charts to make sure of it. I waved to Clarice, who was sitting with Rose in the 5th row, before taking my place with Steven, Daniel, and Robert at the front of the isle. First Ella and Grance came down the isle, followed by Em, with Sophie carrying her train. I looked over at Steven, but he wasn't paying any attention to me whatsoever. He only had eyes for Em. The ceremony went off without a hitch, for which I was grateful because having the bride be arrested for murder would really have put a damper on the occasion. I'm not even joking. After they were pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Heartfield by the old wizard the party _really_ started. There was dancing, drinks, and a large number of Steven's attractive, Scottish cousins that a year or two ago I would've been taking advantage of. But this year I had something _way_ more fun to do...

"Care for a dance?" I asked, walking up to Clarice as Steven and Em were attacked by well-wishers, and I really do mean _attacked_.

"Sure," said Clarice, "But shouldn't you congratulate them?" she jerked her head towards the mass of people that was hiding Steven and Em from view.

"Nah," I said, "I've got my whole life to do that, but I've only got three minutes before this song ends, and I _really_ like this song." Clarice laughed as we joined the throng of dancing couples on the dance floor. A few hours later Clarice and I found ourselves at the same table as Steven and Em.

"Congratulations mate," I said, while Em and Clarice talked about how beautifully the flowers matched the theme-or some other girly thing like that.

"Thanks," said Steven, beaming.

"So, does it feel different?" I asked, "Being married and everything."

"Not really," he said, shaking his head, "It doesn't feel much different than being engaged. I guess having it official is nice, but we were already committed, so nothing _really_ important has changed." God, I'd learned more about getting married during this than I was sure was healthy...it gets a bloke thinking, which _definitely_ isn't healthy.

"Well," I said, "I suppose that's a good thing."

"It is," said Steven, "It means we were ready."

"_Told_ you!" I said, "And, by the way, I was right, she _didn't_ leave you at the alter."

"You thought I'd leave you at the alter?" butt in Em. She looked mildly insulted.

"No," said Steven, "I had complete faith in you."

"He did not," I said, "He was having a freak out all week."

Em rolled her eyes and kissed him, looking like she thought he was extremely cute.

"Wanna dance," asked Steven as they broke apart.

"Sure," said Em, and they stood up again, and I could _swear_ I heard Steven do that sappy thing where he calls her "Mrs. Heartfield," but I prayed to God I'd imagined that one.

**I hope you guys liked the wedding! I LOVE writing weddings, so I'm _sure_ there'll be a ton more in this story. But, this one was really important, so tell me what you thought about it. I had a pretty hard time with the James/Emily scene, so tell me if it was good, because that was one that was really important and that was difficult to write. Then, get psyched for another magical time jump! Can you also all do me a favor and take a look at a new story I'm doing about Katie Bell and Oliver Wood? It would REALLY make me happy...It's called "It Took a While".  
**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	37. It Felt Right

**So, we're magically time jumping here, and we're gonna land a year from last chapter, when Hugo and Lily have finished their last year at Hogwarts...Sound good? Good. Enjoy!**

I'd never had a year go faster in my life than the one after Em and Steven's wedding. There was no drama, no breakups, no issues with anything, and I realized that I was now in a place where that made me happier than anything else would have, because drama would've changed something about my life, which was perfect the way it was, and didn't need any changing. The only big news that happened that year was that eight months after they got married Steven and Em found out that Em was pregnant. I have to admit that that one shook me a little, but not as much as them getting married had. They had decided to find out the sex of the baby ahead of time, because they new that the battle over names would be of epic proportions, which it was definitely turning out to be. They were having a baby girl, and so far neither of them had managed to come up with a name that the other would even consider adding to the 'maybe' list. At the beginning of Em's fourth month I'd come over to see them with a very specific question to ask. I'd been somewhat avoid their place during the first three months, cause Em was unbearable when suffering morning sickness, but that'd started fading during the middle of her third month, so I was gradually starting to spend more time there once I realized it wouldn't result in bodily harm. I honestly have _no_ idea how Steven managed to live through it.

"Hey guys!" I said after apparated into their living room. They didn't acknowledge me at first, and I could tell why. Em was holding 'the notepad'. 'The notepad' was where they were _supposed_ to be writing down possible baby names, but had so far remained unwritten on.

"No," Em was saying, "We are not naming our daughter Misty! It sounds like a weather forecast!"

"Well, it's better than Evelyn!" replied Steven.

"Evelyn is a beautiful name," said Em, "But if you _really _hate it, then-"

"I do," he cut in.

"Fine," she said, "How about Belle?"

"Since when were we French?"

"Guys!" I said, because I really couldn't take anymore, "Can you not bicker while I'm here, it's driving me mad!"

"Sorry," said Steven, leaving his armchair and going to sit next to Em on the couch. He then gestured towards his recently vacated chair and said, "Well don't just stand there."

I rolled my eyes before flopping into the chair. Now that I was here it felt like a pretty stupid reason to come.

"So?" asked Em, "What's up?"

"Nothing," I said, staring at the carpet.

"Spit it out James," said Steven, "I know you, and I know something's on your mind."

"Well, you're right," I said slowly.

"You know, James," said Em, who seemed to sense that this wasn't something I really wanted to talk about with her there, "I've got to go, because Sophie and I are having lunch in Diagon Alley at noon, and I wanted to get some shopping done before hand. Can I just leave you two?"

I sent her a grateful look and said, "Thanks, Em. You're the best."

"I know," she said with a smirk before giving Steven a kiss, grabbing her purse, and disapperating.

"So," said Steven, "What's this mystery thing you couldn't tell me in front of Em?"

"I'm gonna ask Clarice to marry me," I said, not looking at him.

"That's it?" he asked. I felt vaguely insulted.

"'That's it?'?" I nearly shouted, "What do you mean 'that's it'? This happens to be a major life decision and I really thought you of all people would get that!"

"Well," said Steven, "It's not like we haven't all been expecting it for ages. Really, James, it was only a matter of time until you popped the question. So, have you got the ring?"

"Yeah, I have," I replied. I'd gone to get it about a week ago, though the idea of marriage had been floating around in my head for a while. Of course Clarice and I had talked about it, because it'd be crazy not to, but we never set a time, we just both knew we wanted to get married and someday have kids, but 'someday' is a pretty vague term. "It's really great, look," I took the box out of my pocket and flipped it open. I'd spent a long time picking it out, because it had to be just right for her. It was a simple gold band with a circular sapphire.

"It's great," he said, "It fits her. But wait-you carry that around in your pocket? Really?"

"It's safer than keeping it at home where she could find it," I said, "Now I know I've always got it and it's safe."

"So what do you need me for?" asked Steven, "It seems to me like you've got everything figured out."

"Well, first of all, I, unlike _some_ people I know," I sent him a glare, "Like to tell my best mate when I make major, life changing decisions. And secondly, I'm having trouble deciding when to ask her."

"I can't help you there," said Steven, "Do you honestly think I planned to ask Em in front of you lot? Of course not. I'd been carrying it around with me, trying to get the courage to ask her, and that moment just seemed right. Just carry the box around for a while and you'll see a moment when you think 'This is the moment' and that's when you do it." I thought over what he said as we sat in silence for a moment. I remembered when Teddy proposed to Vic all those years ago, and I suddenly realized that he probably hadn't planned on doing it then at all...Apparently all guys have this stroke of brilliance as to when to do it, so why shouldn't I? I just had to wait until it felt right.

* * *

I decided to let the ring sit until the right moment happened, and I was able to forget about it most of the time. I took Clarice out to our favorite restaurant in London for our 18 month anniversary. We had a great time, but I hadn't planned on doing anything until we got ready to order desert.

"James," said Clarice, "I have to go to the loo, so can you just order me a slice of the chocolate cake? You know the one I like."

"Sure thing," I said with a smile as I watched her stand up and leave the table. It was at that moment hat I had the brilliant stroke of insperation, and Steven was right, the moment just seemed right. It wouldn't have happened unless everything else had gone exactly this way all evening, but now that it had and I was presented with this moment I had a plan.

When the waiter came over and asked if we wanted desert, I told him that I wanted the cheesecake and that Clarice would have the chocolate cake. Then I held up the ring and said, "Do me a favor, can you ask the chef to find a way to slip this into the chocolate cake for me?"

"Of course," said the waiter with a little smirk. It was _very_ unprofessional in _my_ opinion. I was already nervous. I thought about what I wanted to say, and decided, against my better judgment to open my mouth and see what came out. It'd worked before, after all.

Clarice came back to the table just as the waiter was leaving and sat down, saying, "Oh, have Steven and Em decided on a baby name yet?"

I groaned, "_Please_ don't bring that up...the bickering from them about it is unbearable. Every time I'm over there it's the same. They're constantly going at eachother about why they can't name their kid Gwendolyn or Penny some other weird name that Steven and Em throw out there."

She laughed, "Honestly, James, they'd better get a move on or you'll have "Blank Hearfield" as your goddaughter." I chuckled, but the sound died in my throat when the waiter walked back over, the cheesecake in one hand, and the chocolate cake in the other. I took a calming breath, reminding myself that the ring was already in there and I couldn't change it now, as Clarice picked up her fork. She took the first two bites without incident, but on the third bite her fork hit metal. I watched as her eyebrows furrowed and she reached out to touch the small bit of the gold band that was exposed. Her eyes widened as she pulled out the ring.

I got down on one knee, my heart beating faster than it ever had in my life. I noticed somewhere in the back of my mind that the restaurant had gone quiet, and somewhere in that same part of my mind I wondered if their tables were so boring that these people were all forced to stare at mine, but I wasn't really in a position to get worked up about that. "Clarice Alice Longbottom," I said, slowly, "I've liked you ever since we met, and throughout the years I've come to love you more than anyone else in my life. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I promise to love you forever, every single day of forever. Will you marry me?" I was pretty impressed with my speech, if I say so myself, and I meant every word of it. I watched her as her eyes filled with tears and she whispered, "Yes." I kissed her, feeling a relief spread through me as I realized my hear was _not_ about to be broken. When we broke apart I slid the ring onto her finger, and only then did I notice that the entire restaurant was giving us a standing ovation.

* * *

That night I lay awake a long time, long after Clarice had fallen asleep. Something about getting married was making me think about my life from a new perspective. I remembered when I was 13, and Teddy and Vic were getting married. I'd said then that marriage changed people in scary ways, but now I realized that while it changes people, it changes people for the better. But, like Em said at her wedding, it isn't marriage that changes people, it's _people_ that change people. You've already changed when you decided to walk down that isle, and just like Steven said at their wedding, by the time you say "I do" nothing should change except what ring you wear, and for some their last name. I thought about the last two years, and realized how much I'd grown...and while I felt a little sad at the fact that I wasn't the same, untroubled teenager I'd been, I mostly felt relieved to move to a more stable lifestyle. I glanced at Clarice, my own personal miracle, and smiled when I could see the sapphire glinting on her finger, before rolling over and falling asleep.

**I hope you all liked that chapter! PLEASE don't get offended if it's your name that Em or Steven shot down throughout the chapter or the chapters to come, because I personally like some of the names I threw out there, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't be offended.**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	38. Uncle Ron Said Something Smart?

**Hey guys! This chapter has a lot of interactions between James and other people (not Clarice), and I really enjoyed writing it. Enjoy!**

I had a problem. I thought that once I worked up the nerve to ask Clarice to marry me the hardest part would be over, but it wasn't. I knew from Steven and Em that there was a _ton_ of planning involved, so that didn't faze me. What fazed me was the fact that I had to pick my groomsmen. It was a no-brainer: Daniel, Robert, Steven, and Al...the real issue was the best man. I knew that Al was supposed to be my best man, because he's my brother, but Steven's my brother too, if not by blood. I decided to talk to Uncle Ron about it (I know, _crazy_ idea, asking Uncle Ron for help...) because I knew that he would've had the same problem. So, I apparated over to his and Aunt Hermione's house one evening.

"Oh my God, James!" cried Aunt Hermione while Uncle Ron cried, "Holy shit!" as I materialized in their kitchen with a loud _crack_. Aunt Hermione, who clearly had been cooking something, had a large burn hole in the middle of her shirt, while Uncle Ron was covered in flower.

"Do I even wanna know?" I asked.

"No," said Uncle Ron, while Aunt Hermione waved her wand, first at her shirt and then at Uncle Ron, before returning to the stove where a pan was sizzling bacon.

"Not that we don't love seeing you," said Aunt Hermione, "But what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to Uncle Ron," I said. Aunt Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Okay," said Uncle Ron, walking into the living room, clearly expecting me to follow.

"So?" he asked, sitting down, "What's up?"

"I don't know who to pick for my best man," I explained, "Cause Al's my brother, but Steven's...my brother too. Who did you pick?"

"Your dad," he said.

"Was that hard?" I asked, "Picking my dad over family?"

"No," he replied, "Because when I picked my best man I decided to pick the person who'd been my best man in life. It's about more than just the one day, it's about who's been beside you your whole life and who you'd go to for anything and know that they wouldn't judge. Harry and I went through things together than no one in my family could understand, and they understood that I needed him to stand by me on my wedding day the same way he stood beside me every other day of my life. Al will understand."

My mouth hung open. Never in a thousand million years had I ever dreamed that Uncle Ron, _Uncle Ron _for Christ's sake!, could say something that smart.

"I guess," I said, before an idea struck me, "And he'll probably chose Scorpius to be his if he ever gets married..."

"Exactly," said Uncle Ron with a smile, "Well, you're welcome to stay for dinner if Hermione's got it sorted."

"Nah," I said, "I've gotta go and see Al. I'm asking all the groomsmen tonight."

"Okay," he said, "See you later!" And with a wave he disappeared into the kitchen where I could hear Aunt Hermione clunking around china.

I disapperated and reappeared in Albus' house he shared with his girlfriend Annabel (a close friend of Clarice's coincidentally) in Godric's Hallow.

"What the-" cried Al, who'd been sitting in the living room, jumped about a mile. I couldn't help but wonder if I was the only one who _didn't _jump when people apparated. You'd think people'd get used to the sound, but apparently not.

"Hey," I said, sitting down in an armchair, "Annabel out with Rose and Clarice?" I asked. The three of them were all going out to dinner to have a 'girl's night'.

"Yeah," he said, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, it's nice to know my only brother appreciates my company," I said sarcastically.

"I thought you'd be with Steven and Em," he said defensively.

"And I thought you'd be with Scorpius," I countered, "I'm not attached to Steven's hip, contrary to popular belief."

"You still haven't answered my question."

"Well," I said, "You know how Clarice and I are getting married next May?" I checked. I didn't think he was thick enough to forget his only brother's wedding, but you never know with Al...still have no idea what the Sorting Hat was thinking when he put him in Ravenclaw.

"Yeah," he said.

"Well, I want you to be one of my groomsmen."

"Okay," he said.

"And, I wanted to tell you that I've chosen Steven to be my best man."

"No duh," he said, before freezing, and then laughing, "You didn't think I expected you to pick me, did you? How _stupid_ do you think I am? You know I'm gonna pick Scorpius to be mine, so what's the big deal?"

"Nothing," I said, feeling slightly stupid for all the worrying I did over this, "I just wanted to let you know."

"Sure," he said with an eye-roll, and I inwardly chuckled. I had to remember to like my brother more when he wasn't being an idiot, cause he could be a pretty cool guy...

* * *

A few days later Clarice and I were sitting in our living room talking about the bridesmaids.

"Well," said Clarice, "I can only have a maid of honor and two other bridesmaids."

"Why?" I asked. I thought you could have any number you wanted.

"Because," she said, sounding exasperated, as if this was something _everyone_ knew, "You are having your best man and two other groomsmen. If Robert didn't have to be at his sister's wedding that day I could've had three other bridesmaids."

"Oh," I said blankly. That didn't clear it up much for me, because I didn't see the necessity of an even number, but this wasn't really my forte so I kept quiet.

"So," she continued, "I'm obviously going to chose Rose to be my maid of honor, and I've decided on Annabel and Lily as my other two bridesmaids. Lily's been hanging out with us a lot this year, and she's your sister, so we have to include her."

"Whatever you want," I said.

"No," she said, shaking her head, "What do you think about that? Can you at least try and be a _little_ interested?"

"I am," I said, "But you've got this one sorted."

She rolled her eyes. Apparently 'Whatever you want' isn't a good answer...

* * *

"Hey guys!" I called as I arrived in Steven and Em's apartment. Clarice, Rose, Annabel, and Lily were having a bridesmaid brunch, so I had the afternoon free.

No response came from the living room, but I could hear Em saying, "Leila? Did you make that up? We aren't naming her Leila! It sounds stupid."

"Fine," came Steven's voice. I rolled my eyes as I walked into the living room.

"Honestly," I said, "How hard is it to pick a baby name?"

"Working with him? Impossible," said Em, before muttering under her breath, "_Leila_? Honestly. Next he'll be trying to call her Lolita..."

"Well, what are you suggesting?" asked Steven angrily while I took a seat. I could tell this would take a while.

"Stephanie."

"Stephanie? That's too generic. How about Rachel?"

"No," she said, "Rachel Heartfield wouldn't sound good at all..."

"And Stephanie Heartfield would?"

"Yes."

"GUYS!" I called loudly, "Shut it! I was coming over to hang out with you guys, but if all I'm gonna hear is a battle to the death over baby names I'm leaving."

"Sorry," said Em, "It's just that we're running out of time and _someone_," she glared pointedly at Steven, as if I couldn't get that she was talking about him without a physical gesture, "Won't agree on any of the beautiful names I've suggested."

"Beautiful? They've either been weird or generic. There is middle ground you know!"

"What, and you think that _you_ have been picking the 'middle ground names'," she sketched the air-quotes, which added to the effect of her incredulity.

"Yeah, because-"

"STOP!" I shouted, "Or I'm leaving!"

"Sorry," said Steven, "But wait till you have to do it! It's _hard_."

Em nodded in agreement while I flopped down on their sofa. They followed suite, both having been standing up in agitation.

"Anyway," I said to Em, "Should you even be standing for so long?"

"Please," said Em, rolling her eyes, "You sound like Steven. I'm only five months pregnant, I'm not even huge yet."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh shut it," she said, glancing down at her protruding baby-belly.

I smirked.

**I hope you guys liked this chapter! Again: I apologize if I made fun of your name today, I actually like a lot of the names I put in there, so PLEASE don't be offended. As usual I'm always glad to hear your thoughts in a review. I'm going away for a week, so the next update might take a long while, so I tried to make this one really good.**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	39. NonAlcoholic Butter Beer

**Hey guys! I don't want to give anything away, but I'll just say something really big happens in this chapter. Enjoy!**

I spent the next couple of months immersed in wedding plans, and went to bed every night with my head swimming with seating charts and caterer names only to wake up in the morning to Clarice asking me a question about venues and photographers. I didn't mind at all though. In all honesty Clarice was so happy picking stuff out that I would've helped her just to keep her that happy, but I found myself genuinely interested in most of what we did. However, whenever I felt the need to escape wedding-land my only option was baby-land. Em was due in early December, and still the baby had no name. It was becoming a running joke whenever we got together and everyone present was constantly giving them ideas, all of which were shot down. One evening in early November Em, Steven, me, Robert, and Daniel were all at The Three Broomsticks having a drink, Clarice having gone out with Rose, Scorpius, Al, and Annabel.

"How about Michelle?" asked Em, taking a sip of her non-alcoholic butter beer.

"You suggested that last week," sighed Steven, "The answer's still no."

"Penelope," said Daniel hopelessly, taking a sip of his butter beer.

"Never!" said both Steven and Em together.

"Good job, mate," said Robert, "You've gotten them to agree on something!" We all laughed, even Steven and Em. "Honestly," continued Robert, "Between James' babbling about his wedding and you guys at eachother's throats over baby names we never talk about anything else!"

"Yeah!" said Daniel, "Doesn't anyone care about _my_ news?"

"What news?" I asked, deciding to let Robert's comment slide for now, mostly because he was right.

"I've got a girlfriend," said Daniel.

"What?" asked Robert, having slopped most of his butter beer down his shirt.

"No way..." I whispered.

"Why is this so shocking?" asked Daniel, looking insulted.

"Well," said Steven, "It's just that your a Quidditch star, and have had girls all over you for _years_ but you never took interest before now!"

"We thought," I said with a joking smirk, "You might play for the other team...if you get my drift."

"Not that there's anything wrong with that," said Em, "I for one would've been glad to hear it. I've always wanted a gay best friend."

If Daniel had looked insulted before it was nothing to how he was looking now.

"Sorry, mate," I said, "Only joking. Who is she?"

"Or he," interjected Robert with a smirk. Daniel elbowed him.

"_She_ is on the reserve team, but is next in line to be a chaser, so when Andris retires, and it's only a matter of time if you ask me, he's getting pretty old, she'll be on the team. Her names' Julie Broadbank."

"You bringing her to the wedding?" I asked, anxious to meet her already.

"Here we go!" shouted Robert in defeat rather dramatically if you ask me, not that anyone ever does..."We're back to the wedding!"

"Shut it," I said, "I just want to meet her."

"Yeah," said Steven, while Em said, "I want to meet her _before_ the wedding. It's not for another six months! Who knows if you'll even still be together!"

"Thanks for the support and optimism, Em," said Daniel icily.

"She's got a fair point," I said. Daniel rolled his eyes while Robert and Steven laughed.

* * *

November 23rd dawned bright and early, and, like any ordinary Wednesday, Clarice and I got up and got ready to leave the house by 8:00 (an indecent hour to be awake if you ask me, but tell that to the goblins at the bank...). Clarice was halfway through her second year of healer training, after which she'd have one more year of training and then a year of acting as a trainee healer for another healer...being a healer's tough stuff after all, it's no wonder only Ravenclaws do it. So, she was off to training and I was off to the bank to get work done.

When I got there there was a cursed amulet from Egypt that I had to work on, and I was busy with that when Steven's owl tapped on the window. I took the sheet of parchment from it and opened it.

_Em's gone into labor. We're going to St. Mungo's now._

I left the office quickly and ran straight into Uncle Bill.

"Hello James, any luck with that amulet, cause-"

"Sorry Uncle Bill," I said in a rush, "Em's just gone into labor. Steven just owled and he'll be nervous. She's probably cursing him out already. I've got to go to St. Mungo's."

Uncle Bill looked startled, but said, "Okay, but make sure to finish with that amulet when you get back."

"Thanks, bye!" I called, already disapperating.

I arrived in the waiting room and was about to approach the desk when I saw Em's parents.

"Hello Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Johnson," I said, coming up to them, "Do you know where they are?"

"Yeah," said Mrs. Johnson, who looked nervous, "Come on, James." We walked up to the wing where they did magical pregnancies and sat in the waiting room, because we weren't all allowed in Em's room.

Steven came out a few minutes after his parents arrived and said, "I'm glad you're here, Clara, Em's been asking for you," looking at Em's mother.

"Alright," replied Mrs. Johnson, looking relieved.

"Wait," I said, getting up too, "Can I just look in?" I wanted to see her before she underwent the most life-changing event possible.

"I don't really think you wanna do that," said Steven, "Her contractions are less than a minute apart and she's really not in the best of moods." It was like he didn't think I knew she'd be bitchy during labor...

"I know," I said, "But I just wanna look in. Then I'll leave, promise."

"Let me rephrase," he said, "I don't think _she_ will want you to do that."

"You can't know that," I said, "Please..." I knew this probably wasn't a very smart move, but I was curious. I'd never been allowed to go to the hospital when my cousins were born, and I was left in the waiting room with Grandpa Arthur when Al and Lily were born.

"Fine," he said, more to get me to shut up than anything else, I think. He led me and Mrs. Johnson down the corridor to Em's room, number 208. I let Steven and Mrs. Johnson pass in first, and waited until Em had greeted her mother before coming in.

"What the hell does _he_ think he's doing here?" she asked, before screaming as what I guessed was a pretty painful contraction hit her.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," I said, ignoring Steven's 'I told you so' look.

"Well, clearly, I'm not, so you can go," she said irritably.

Deciding that sticking around wouldn't be in my best interests I made to leave, but as I reached the door Em screamed again and threw the bowl of ice-chips her mother had been using to dab at her forehead. The bowl narrowly missed me and a left as fast as humanly possible. Wow. In-Labor Em was even bitchier than Morning-Sickness Em...Not that I could really blame her, but it's not like I could empathize.

* * *

We waited for six hours in that waiting room before Steven made another appearance only to say that he needed to get Em's mom something to eat. I'd sat up, expecting something more exciting, like a baby, or at the very least that Em had killed a nurse out of anger, but I just slumped down in disappointment. If I was disappointed it was _nothing_ to how Em's dad and Steven's parents were looking. From what I got, Em and Steven's parents didn't get on too well...not as bad as the way that Uncle Ron and Mr. Malfoy get along, but pretty damn close. So, Em's dad was sitting on the opposite side of the waiting room while Steven's dad stared the opposite wall and Steven's mum pretended to read a magazine while really shooting glances (more like glares, actually) at Em's dad. I liked Mr. and Mrs. Heartfield and Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, so it was pretty awkward for me, let me tell you.

At about 5:00 I sent a patronus to Clarice so that she wouldn't be worried (which made Steven's parents (muggles) gape), and at about 6:00 she brought me some dinner. I'd had a little lunch from the St. Mungo's tea room, but I was looking for something more substantial by dinner. Clarice then went home while I waited. And waited. And waited. I'm sure you get it by now. The only other thing that happened was that Em's sister Sophie sent an owl to her father, saying that she'd be there by that Saturday to see the baby. She was studying in an extremely selective and intense program in France for pioneering and couldn't get away easily. She was lucky she could get away at all before the Christmas holiday.

I'd dozed off in my chair when, at about 11:20, Steven belted into the room, his entire face glowing. I couldn't remember ever seeing him that happy. His eyes were filled with wonder, and we all stood up. "She's gorgeous," was all he said, and we all ran to the door and followed eagerly as he led the way to Em's room, while he told us that she'd been born at 11:11, and that they'd been able to pick the name immediately after they saw her, but that Em wanted to tell us. When we arrived Em was propped up on her pillows holding a tiny bundle of blankets, in which I could see a hint of pink that was the baby. She looked a mess. Sweat-soaked, her hair knotted and her body slumped in exhaustion I'd never seen her so tired, but the look on her face made it clear to everyone that she considered the pain a fair price. She was positively beaming, and as Steven sat beside her on the edge of the bed their eyes met, and I felt almost as if I was eavesdropping on a moment too private for anyone to see. Then they both turned their eyes to the baby, and the tenderness they showed when looking at her was so obvious and beautiful that it made me grin too.

"This is Susan Blair Heartfield."

**I hope that lived up to everyone's expectations after my comment at the beginning. Give me your thoughts on the baby's name and on the chapter in general in a review, please!**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	40. Immature Friends

**Hey guys! This one's pretty short, but the next one will be SUPER long to make up for it. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it!**

Now, I'd had a ton of experience with babies, but all of it was when I was younger. The last time I held a newborn was when I was ten and Molly and Lucy were born. Peter, Vic and Teddy's son, who had turned 4 this past September, was just after I left for my sixth year at Hogwarts. So, I didn't meet him until that Christmas break, when he was 4 months old. So, when I held Susan Blair Heartfield for the first time, in the early hours of the morning of November 24th, I wasn't sure what to expect. Also, I'd never felt particularly _responsible_ for any of my younger cousins (or for _anyone _for that matter) at that age, and suddenly I was seized by a wave of responsibility for this little baby. Susan. My goddaughter. It was an overwhelming feeling, and because it struck me so quickly and forcefully I'd forgotten that Steven and Em were waiting for me to say something about her until I looked up and saw their expectant faces.

"She's beautiful," I said with a serious smile, but it turned joking as I continued, "But I'd really rather admire her this weekend when I've slept."

They both laughed, before Em said, "Come over on Saturday, and bring Clarice."

"I don't think you'd be able to stop her coming even if you wanted to," I said with a smile, "She _loves_ babies." Something about that thought made me smile, but I wasn't ready to admit it yet. "Bye!" I called before disapperated out of the room and back into our apartment. It was 12:30 when I got home, and I inwardly groaned at the fact that I had work starting at 8:00, and I _still_ had to deal with that damn amulet.

* * *

When Clarice and I arrived at Steven and Em's apartment on Saturday we found them examining newspapers that littered their coffee table.

"What are you doing?" I asked, before adding, "And where's the baby?"

"Oh, Susan's sleeping," said Em, nodding over to the bouncing seat where Susan was napping.

"Oh she's beautiful," sighed Clarice, running over to the sleeping baby as I repeated, "So what are you doing?"

"We're looking at houses in Ottery St. Catchpole, Godric's Hollow, and Tinworth," said Steven, and I looked at the newspapers and saw that they were, indeed, muggle. Gringott's Wizarding Bank set the exchange rate from our money to muggle money, so that before buying a house you could go and exchange the coins, and then just hand over all the money. Normally, the bank loaned you some of it, but you had to get it all to the muggles at once, cause we couldn't loan money and things from their banks, obviously.

"You're moving?" I asked.

"No," said Em, rather sarcastically, which I did _not_ appreciate, "We're just poking around in muggle paper's for fun..."

I rolled my eyes, "Why?"

"Well," said Steven, "This place is pretty small now that Susan's here."

"I guess that makes sense," I said, "Where do you think you'll pick?" I was hoping they picked

"Well," said Em, "We were thinking-" but she broke off when a baby cry was heard from the magical bouncing seat. Clarice jumped back as Em rushed over and picked up Susan, rocking her back and forth, whispering, "Hush, baby, sh...it's alright, Mummy's here." Once Susan had decided that she was _not_ going to blow out our eardrums Em sat down, still holding her and Steven picked up where she'd left off.

"We were thinking Tinworth," he said, "We love the sea..."

"My aunt and uncle live there," I said, "And my cousin Vic, her husband Teddy, and their son Peter. It's a nice area."

"Yeah," Steven nodded, but I could tell he wasn't really listening...he was nodding rather dazedly while looking at photos in the muggle papers.

We stayed at Steven and Em's for about an hour before heading back home. Clarice spoke the moment we were through the front door.

"Maternity suites Emily rather well," she said matter-of-factly as she walked into the kitchen and hunted around for the kettle.

"What?" I asked, rather nonplussed. Em hadn't looked particularly different to me...I mean, Susan was adorable, and I've always had a soft spot for babies, but I honestly didn't see _Em_ looking any different...

Clarice rolled her eyes as if this was something _obvious_, "Well, it just suites her, that's all. She looked bright, not at all the type of parent who looks exhausted. Well, she looks tired, but in a pleasant sort of way, as if she didn't mind it at all..." She sat down at the kitchen table, clutching her mug of tea, apparently lost in thought. She was doing that adorable thing she did where her eyebrows crinkled as she thought, and she was gazing into her tea cup as if hoping the tea leaves would speak to her...

"You know what suites you?" I asked, walking over and kissing her temple, "Puzzlement."

"James," she said with that tone and smile she got when she was _pretending _to be reproachful, even though she really approved of what I'd just said.

"Why don't we go out tonight?" I asked, struck with sudden inspiration, "There's that new place in Diagon Alley that we wanted to try..."

"Well...I don't know. We've still got to pick out invitations..." she was biting her lip.

"Come on," I said exasperated, leave it to her to worry about that when we had six bloody months, "We don't have to send those out for another 3 or 4 months!"

"Alright," she said with a smile, "Let me just change," and with that she stood up, put her cup in the sink, and walked out of the kitchen towards our bedroom. I could hear her muttering under her breath, "Honestly, the things that man gets me to do..."

I smirked.

* * *

About a month later me, Daniel, and Robert were waiting in The Three Broomsticks for Steven and Em. It was the first time they were leaving Susan home to go out (she was with Sophie), and they were already late.

"They'd better not cancel again," muttered Robert, because they were _supposed_ to meet us the previous evening, but hadn't come because they'd been too nervous.

"Well," said Daniel, "Susan is pretty little..."

"Yeah, but it's not like she'll miss them, and they'll only be here a couple hours," I said, deciding to inject some _reason_ into the conversation...Crazy idea, I know. I thought Robert was being a little insensitive (typical), but Daniel was over-worrying (again: typical).

Just then, Em and Steven, walked in, holding hands. Steven was whispering something into Em's ear, while she bit her lip.

"You made it!" I said, standing up and giving them each a hug as Robert said, "About time!" I sent him a look before we all sat down.

"How's Susan?" asked Daniel, and I wished I'd been seated next to him so that I could elbow him...he was pretty thick sometimes. Who brings up a worrying subject to two people who are already _extremely _nervous. Apparently Daniel.

Surprisingly, Em looked much more cheerful as she responded, "She's great. She's sleeping just now, and I honestly don't think that she'll wake up before we get home."

"See, _nothing_ to worry about," said Robert with a smirk. "Oi! What was that for?" he shouted as my elbow collided with his ribs, for I _was_ sitting next to him, fortunately for me and most unfortunately for him.

"Being thick," I responded easily, and everyone laughed except Robert, who scowled impressively.

"You know," said Steven, "I've really missed this."

"What?" asked Robert.

"Us making fun of you, you being thick, just, you know, your average day," smirked Steven.

We all laughed, even Robert, before Em turned to Daniel and said, "Are you still seeing that girl? What was her name? Julia...something?"

"Julie? Yeah, I am," he replied.

"Wow...two months?" I said, "I didn't think a girl would be able to stand the switch from worry to stupidity every 20 seconds for more than 2 days."

"I'm always surprised that Clarice has put up with the snide comments and overconfident speeches for 2 years..." replied Daniel with dignity.

I rolled my eyes, "You really are _very _immature, resorting to insults like that."

"So what does that make you?" asked Robert with a snort, "Mature?"

"I am about to be a married man," I said with over-dramatized dignity.

"Yeah, and Em's a mum, that doesn't make her mature," counted Robert.

"Excuse me," said Em, "But I have _always_ been mature."

"Weak example, mate," said Daniel.

"Fine," muttered Robert, "But what about Steven? He'll _never_ be mature!"

"This coming from you?" said Steven with a laugh.

By now we were all rolling around with laughter. I shook my head as I rolled my eyes...Married or not, I _loved_ my immature friends. Every childish one of them...

**Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was pretty low-activity, just different interactions with his friends and Clarice, but some big stuff's coming up. I realized while writing this that the end is coming for the story. I've got 3 more chapters planned, and then an epilogue (if you read "One More Year" you know I LOVE epilogues-but this one will only be one chapter...) but then that's it. This story was really a story about James growing into the man he's going to be for the rest of his life and I feel like he's reaching the end of that journey. His character is one that I LOVE writing, and will definitely write more of in other stories, but writing this really helped me get an idea of him throughout all the major changes in his life and I've really enjoyed that. So, now that I'm done with my long and depressing rant I'll just say that I won't get too sad yet...cause these 3 chapters are going to be SUPER DRAMATIC!**


	41. Staying in Love

**HEY! I'm sure you all thought I died, but fear not, I'm still around. I know that there is no excuse for this type of delay, and I promise the next chapter will come _much_ faster. I'm O SORRY! This chapter was a hard one for me, but I hope you all like it. Away, enough of me talking; enjoy the chapter!**

Time was slipping by faster than ever as the wedding got closer. Five months, four months, then three, all of which were filled with preparations. It was early April, and about a month until the wedding when Clarice and I finished all of our planning. One evening shortly after that we were both sitting on the couch, or rather, _I_ was on the couch with Clarice situated comfortably on my lap, her head on my shoulder as she read a book and I read _The Daily Prophet_.

"I can't believe it," she said after a while. I raised my eyebrow, "We're actually getting _married_..."

"What clued you in?" I asked with a joking smirk, "The seating charts? Flower arrangements? Or was it the sapphire on your ring finger?" We both glanced down at the ring, which Clarice had been stroking thoughtfully moments before. She smiled.

"You really are an ass sometimes, you know that?" she said, turning her head to look at me, raising her eyebrows.

I continued with the joke, saying, "How could I forget with you reminding me daily?" She elbowed me in the ribs gently, but was smiling. We relapsed into a comfortable silence. She went back to her book, but I just began playing idly with the fingers of her left hand, thinking. I understood what she meant about not being able to believe we were getting married, even though I'd made a joke out of it. I was thinking about it because I was trying to find the definite moment where I was ready to get married, and I couldn't find it.

Of course, I'd been in love with Clarice for a long time, but being in love at the beginning is different than being in love for the long haul. Falling in love happens, staying in love is a choice. I thought about Clarice's most irritating habits, and believe me, she had some, like how she absentmindedly clicks her tongue when she thinks (believe me, the sound would drive anyone mad and she _never_ stops-you could ask her to stop, but after less than 30 seconds she'll start u[ again). But I was living to live with all of her annoying habits for the rest of my life, because all of the qualities that made me fall in love with her were worth it. I know I can be pretty annoying, so I know Clarice had to make that choice as well. So, I supposed that choosing to stay in love was about when I was ready to get married, but I didn't think I'd ever be able to pinpoint that moment. Still...it was food for thought.

* * *

Another two weeks later found me and Clarice at Mum and Dad's house for dinner. We flooed in a bit earlier than we were expected, because Clarice wanted to help Mum bake the chocolate cake. So, they busied themselves in the kitchen, chatting away about when they thought Scorpius would propose to Rose, something I personally felt no need to speculate on because I knew they wouldn't listen to what I thought anyway, even though I'd invariably be right. Dad and set up to play chess in the living room.

"So, what do you think about Lorcan Scamander?" he asked me as he watched his knight chop up my pawn.

"Queen to E-5," I said, and with a satisfying crunch his knight's head fell to the ground, "Well," I said, clearing the pieces away, "He's an okay bloke, and he and Lily have been going out for about two years now, so _she _must like him a fair bit, but if you _really_ want to know my opinion, I just don't think it'll last..."

"Oh?" he asked, before surveying the board and saying, "Bishop to C-3. Why not?"

"Well," I said, ordering my knight to put itself into his bishop's line of attack, "First of all, they haven't been all that serious, second of all, you know Lily. She doesn't strike me as the type who'll settle down any time soon."

"Oh and of course we _all_ thought that _you_ were gonna be the type to settle down," he said, rolling his eyes and taking the bait I'd set out for him.

I scowled, before urging my queen to kill his bishop, putting his king in check, "Check," I said, before adding, "The difference is that I _matured_. Lily's not ready to be mature yet..."

He moved his king before saying, "I think you're wrong about this one. I've been watching them a lot lately, you know, at Sunday dinners and everything, and I think they could last."

"Ah-ha!" I said triumphantly, partly because I'd just cornered him with my rook, and partly because I caught his error, "_Could_! If you have to say 'could' then they're not ready," After my recent revelations I felt pretty knowledgeable about when people were and were not ready to get married. And Lily and Lorcan certainly were not. I gazed at him meaningfully before adding, "Oh, and check mate."

He glared at me, and was about to say something when Mum's voice rang from the kitchen "Dinner!"

We sat down at the table, me beside Clarice and Dad next to Mum. She'd made steak and mashed potatoes, one of her best dishes in _my_ opinion.

"It's excellent," I said, swallowing my potatoes.

"What do you think, Ginny?" asked Dad, who _clearly_ wasn't ready to drop the Lorcan subject, "Do you think that Lorcan and Lily will stay together long-term?"

"Of course not," said Mum dismissively, cutting some butter for herself. I couldn't help but smirk at Dad, who's mouth was hanging open.

"Well, that's a fairly pessimistic view on the matter," he said, "I mean I'm not saying it's a sure thing that they will, but there seems like a fairly good chance to me."

"You're wrong," said Mum, and I couldn't help but smirk again, "She's only been out of school a year, and before that they were managing a long-distance relationship, so that entire year doesn't count. Plus, you know Lily, I guarantee that it won't last through the next year. They're still in the puppy-love stage." My thinking exactly. I _knew_ my brains had to come from somewhere...

Dad rolled his eyes, "We'll just see about that."

"Dad, I'm _always_ right about these things," I insisted, "So clearly-"

"You're wrong about this one James," said Clarice, and I turned to her in horror. She wasn't siding with me? I put up a look of mock-insult as she continued, "Besides, one success with Rose and Scorpius and you now claim to be an expert? Plus, that was _three years_ ago!"

"I was right about Em and Steven," I said defiantly, trying to ignore the amused looks on Mum and Dad's faces.

"Well, duh," she said with an eye-roll, "_Everyone_ knew that they were gonna get together. You can't exactly claim responsibility for that one!"

"Well, I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree," I said stubbornly, because I _knew_ I was right. They'd be broken up within the year. I was sure of it. Lorcan was nice and all, but he just wasn't the sort of guy who'd end up with Lily, and that was just plain fact.

* * *

"I can't believe you feel the need to kick me out of my own home!" I said, outraged, as Rose pushed me towards the door.

"You can't see her tomorrow, so you can't sleep here!" she said, "Go over to Steven and Em's or something!"

"Yeah, like they are just _dying _have me crash at there place," I said with an eye-roll. This was so irritating.

"Is he ready?" came the voice of one of my two best friends, and I'd never been less-pleased to see her. She's opened the door and was raising an eyebrow at me, as if _I_ was the one being unreasonable.

"You haven't bought into this have you?" I asked, looking at her skeptically. She seemed to logical to believe in superstitions like that...but then again, so did Rose.

"Do you think I saw Steven the night before the wedding?" she asked, "Of course not."

I gaped. This was unbelievable.

"Fine," I said, looking around, "I'll just say goodbye to Clarice, and then-"

"NO!" shouted both Rose and Em at once.

"What?" I asked, "It's already 4:00!" said Rose, "You'll be married in less than 24 hours, so you can't see her. Get going!"

I muttered a string of incoherent sentences under my breath as Em shepherded me out of the house.

As the front door snapped shut I turned to Em and said, "Where's Steven?"

"He's picking up Blair from my mum's house," she said, "He'll meet me at home."

"_You_?" I asked, "So where are you sending me?"

"I'm just taking you to Albus'," she said, "Anabel's staying with Clarice, Rose, and Lily tonight, so it'll be just you and him." Anabel was Al's girlfriend, you know, the one who'd apparently been in love with me during their seventh year? Any of this ringing a bell? I hadn't seen a ton of her since that year, but I liked her well enough, and unlike Lily and Lorcan she and Al_ were _ready to settle down.

"Oh, so I need an escort now?" I asked.

"Yes," she said, "Frankly you do. Rose didn't have time and you'd never have gone yourself, so I'm here to enforce the rules."

I rolled my eyes at the use of the word 'rules' to describe a stupid superstition.

"Fine," I said with an over-dramatic sigh, "Lead the way, oh enforcer of stupid rules."

* * *

When I woke up I found myself on a bed in the middle of Al's living room. For a minute I had absolutely _no_ idea how I'd gotten there, but then I remembered the date. May ninth. My wedding. _Today_. For a while I pondered the enormity of that idea before I got up and vanished the bed away (I'd conjured it last night).

"Oh, good," came Al's voice as he walked in, "You're up. Daniel's on his way here right now and Steven's already here. We're eating some breakfast, come on."

"What time is it?" I asked, following him into the kitchen.

"8:00," said Al as we sat down at the table. Steven was helping himself to eggs, and gave me a wave as a greeting, "So we really should get moving." The ceremony was at 4:00, but it would take a while to get everything ready.

"Okay," I said, suddenly feeling a lot less hungry...after all, I was getting _married_.

**The next chapter will be the wedding, obviously, and then I have two more planned, plus an epilogue, so the story's coming to a close pretty soon...Since we've got so few chapters left I would _love_ it if all of the people who have this story on alert would review, because it's a little disheartening that so few of you do. I _love_ reviews _so_ much, and I'd really appreciate one from everyone.**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	42. Mrs Potter

**I'm pleased to say that I've really gotten back into this story and I'm _super _excited about how it's going...Get ready for a wedding!**

When I had finished eating what little I had the stomach for I went with Steven, Al, and Daniel to the Burrow to get ready. I had been surprise when Clarice had wanted to have the wedding there, and as we walked up to the house I thought back on our conversation...

_We were sitting at the dining room table and talking about places to have it when Clarice had brought up the Burrow._

_"Why do you want to have it there?" I asked, "I mean, wouldn't you want to have it at your place or something?"_

_"The Burrow represents exactly what I wanted as a child and never had," she said, rather shyly, "I mean, I only ever knew my one grandfather on my mother's side, because my grandmother was killed during the war and my grandparents on my father's side died when I was a baby. I suppose I must have met them, but I don't remember and they probably had no idea who I was. I never had any siblings or cousins or anything and the Burrow represents your whole family, all of your aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents, and I want our family to be like yours, complete."_

I smiled to myself a little, remembering how I'd stared at her, dumbfounded, before a surge of emotion coursed through me as I realized just how lonely she'd been as a child.

As we walked into Uncle Ron's old room-my room now-I finally came back to Earth and realized that Steven was talking to me. "James? James? Are you listening to a word I'm saying?"

"Not really..." I acknowledged, "Sorry, I just zoned out for a minute. What were you saying?"

"Clarice is in her and Rose's room," my mum's old room, "with Rose, Anabel, and Lily, getting ready." My heart jumped just a little bit.

"There's more," said Al. Apparently I'd missed a lot while I'd been zoned out..."Grandma Molly wanted me to warn you not to mention Lorcan to Lily. They broke up last night." Now that I thought about it we _had_ talked to Grandma Molly when we got here...I really had _not_ been paying attention...

I knew I would be right about that...I felt immediately guilty for thinking that, but it was _true_, I'm _always_ right about those things, "Is she really upset?"

"Nah," said Al, "Lorcan was more upset, but it still wouldn't be wise to bring it up."

"Yeah," I said, my mind already returning to Clarice...after all, if Lily was okay I didn't really need to care _too_ much about Lorcan. Still, what a dumb night to break up with someone, right before your brother's wedding! She never thought about those things...

We all got into our dress robes, which resembled muggle tuxes, pinning on our boutineers. I spent another good twenty minutes trying desperately to flatten my hair down, with no success. Why wouldn't it stay flat? Thanks, Dad. Of all the genes I could've gotten from him...Ugh.

"You look great," said Steven for the umpteenth time as I tried to flatten my hair. God, couldn't he do something more useful?

"Not with my hair sticking up like this," I said as I tried to flatten it with a comb.

"James, you and I both know that it's _never_ gonna lie flat," said Al, pulling the comb out of my hand, which I did _not_ appreciate. Combing had given me something to do with my hands. I began pacing back and forth across the room to relieve some of the tension I was feeling.

"Calm down," said Al.

"Wait till it's your turn," I snapped, without breaking step. He had _no_ idea how nervous I felt...probably more nervous than I'd ever felt in my life.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Dad came in.

"It's time for you all to head down," he said, holding the door open as Daniel, Al, and Steven filed out. He put out a hand to stop me and let the door close. "You nervous?"

"What do you think?" I said. Really, he didn't have the same excuse as Al, he'd already gotten married.

"Just calm down," he said, "After all, it's just Clarice down there."

"How can you be this zen about this?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, I've done this before, believe it or not," he said with a smile.

"Thanks Dad," I said, and he followed me out of the room.

We went down to the tent where everyone was taking their seats. We stood up at the front with the old wizard and waited. I felt the urge to start pacing again, but I couldn't, so I just played with my hands.

Then the music started. My heart was beating wildly in my chest and I just kept repeating in my head: it's just Clarice. It's just Clarice. It's just Clarice...

I saw Lily and Al's girlfriend, Anabel, walk down the isle, side by side, in blue boat-necked dresses that I remembered vaguely picking out with Clarice, and by 'picking out with Clarice' I mean listening to Clarice mutter to herself about them while I sat next to her...Rose followed Anabel and Lily, carrying a bouquet just like theirs, small with white violets and white roses as well as a few greens. As the bridesmaids reached the front and everyone watching stood, I felt Steven gently squeeze my arm, but I wasn't paying much attention to him. Uncle Neville had appeared with Clarice holding his arm and every worry I'd had left my head. She looked stunning, and even that word wasn't strong enough. She had on a strapless dress which fitted tightly on top but flowed gracefully from the waist down. Her auburn hair was curled and fell loosely around her shoulders. She had a headband embedded with sapphires holding her veil and a bit of her hair to keep it off her face. However, that wasn't even what I noticed. It wasn't the dress or the headband or the veil that made her look stunning, though she'd chosen all with care. It was just her. Her eyes were glowing, a sparkle coming from deep within their chocolate depths, and the smile that graced her lips was small, but growing, and joyful. I knew I was probably grinning like an idiot, if not drooling, but I didn't care, because in that instant everything was right.

When she and Uncle Neville reached the front he gave me her hand and smiled, and I grinned right back. He took his seat next to his wife, Hannah, Mum, and Dad, but I didn't pay much attention. We listened to the wizard, but I'd never be able to recall what he'd said. It wasn't the words that mattered anyway, it was the meaning behind them. We'd found eachother out of the millions of people in the world, fallen in love, and were going to be in love until we died...maybe longer, who knows?

When the man asked, "Do you, James Sirius Potter, take Clarice Alice Longbottom to be your wife?" my "Yes" rang triumphant, and oddly loud after his soft, gentle voice.

"And do you, Clarice Alice Longbottom, take James Sirius Potter to be your husband?"

"I do," she said, smiling bright and beautiful as she always did.

"Then I now pronounce you bonded for life!"

We kissed, before being passed to our friends and families, hugged by everyone as congratulations came from every direction. Only after a few minutes of being attacked by the crowd were we set free for our first dance.

I had to resist (a lot, I'm ashamed to say) the urge to call her 'Mrs. Potter,' but I just_ couldn't _let those words escape my lips...ugh, talk about sappy.

As we began dancing she looked around at the party and said, "I can't believe it all came together. Do you feel different, being married?"

"Yes," I said, pulling her a little bit closer and whispering in her ear, "Now I have you all to myself."

She laughed. "You already _did_."

"That's true," I said with a smirk. "But now you can't run away."

After a few more minutes Uncle Neville tapped my shoulder and stepped in for the father-daughter dance, while I found Mum.

"Well, James, of all the kids we never expected _you_ to settle down first," she said as we waltzed around the floor.

I shrugged. They probably were betting on Al...I had a feeling, as I glanced at him and Anabel, that he'd be next. Probably not before Rose and Scorpius, though, I noted to myself as I saw them not far from us.

"I'm really proud of the man you've become," said Mum suddenly, and she looked like she was about to cry.

"Mum," I said soothingly, trying to head this off before we got the water-works, "I'm still the same James...just a little more grown up and married."

"Which by definition is the opposite of how you used to be," she said with a smile, "But it's good..."

As the music stopped and we left the floor to get drinks I hugged her and said, "I really do love you, and Dad..."

"We know," she said with a smile, grabbing some champagne, "Even if you forget it, I know...Now go!" she started waving me off, "Enjoy the evening."

After several more dances with Clarice and a bit to eat she went off to dance with Scorpius and I found Steven by the bar.

"Where's Em?" I asked, looking around, "I fancied a dance."

"She went to heck on Susan," he replied, "She's floo-calling using the fire in the kitchen."

"Oh," I said, taking some champagne and watching Steven. His eyes had thee glisten that they only got when talking about his baby daughter.

"So, being married, you feel any different?" he asked, mimicking my question from his wedding.

"Nah," I said, "Still," I watched Clarice and Scorpius dancing. Scorpius was saying something and Clarice was laughing, glancing at where Rose was, talking to Al and Anabel. She nodded and said something. "I think that it's different in that it _feels_ different...not more permanent, but more...maybe official's the word. I can't describe it..."

"Neither can I," he said, "And I've been trying for a while..."

Just then Em came back and grabbed a drink, turning to Steven, "She's fine. Mum said she's sleeping."

"Good," he said with a tender smile, the look returning to his eyes for a brief second.

"Any chance of a dance with the groom?" she asked, turning to me with a smile.

"For you, Em," I said, taking her hand and leading her out onto the floor, "Always."

* * *

As the evening wore on I danced again with Mum, twice with Rose, once with Anabel, another two times with Em, a couple times with Lily, where I found out that she wasn't upset about breaking up with Lorcan at all, and that it was only a matter of time in her opinion (I was _dying_ to go find Dad right after and tell him how very right I was), and countless other dances with Clarice.

At around eleven we were dancing together when she said said suddenly, "I wish he'd do it soon!"

"What?" I asked. Who was 'he' and what was 'he' doing, soon or otherwise?

"Scorpius," she elaborated, "While we were dancing he asked if I'd be okay with him asking Rose to marry him tonight, because he knew it was our evening, and he didn't want to take attention away from me if I minded. I knew you wouldn't mind, you don't, do you?"

"No," I said, "If anything, it draws more attention to me, because we _all_ know that _I_ am responsible for the whole thing!"

She laughed and said, "He said you'd say that...Still, if he wants to do it now would be the perfect time. It's the height of the party! I wonder how their parents will react...We invited Ron and Hermione, obviously, and Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy are here as well..."

I smirked, "I can't _wait_ to see how that plays out..."

Almost as if on cue Scorpius, who'd been dancing with Rose not too far from us was down on one knee.

"Rose Hermione Weasley," he said, his voice strong, and magnified by the fact that the couples had stopped dancing, waiters, had stopped moving, people had stopped talking, even the band had stopped playing. "Will you marry me?"

We all watched expectantly as he opened the ring box, which contained a gold band with a teardrop-shaped emerald. Rose smiled as she said, "Yes," and he stood up and kissed her. Immediately Clarice and I ran forward to give our congratulations (and, of course, I wanted everyone to know it was my doing entirely), while Anabel, Al, and Lily ran over from other directions.

"I _knew_ it!" I said as I clapped Scorpius on the back, "I just _knew_ how it would go from the very beginning. Well, everyone can just thank me!"

Rose hit me lightly on the shoulder, "I think that we can take credit for a few things! Like, oh I don't know, actually falling in love, maybe..."

I rolled my eyes, "Details, details..."

"Now I won't be the only married one around here!" said Clarice with a smile, taking my hand and whispering in my ear, "Not that I really minded..."

And I kissed her.

**I hope you weren't disappointed with the wedding, I'm actually very happy with how it turned out...Get excited because next chapter's gonna be _very_ eventful. Reviews, as always, are appreciated!**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	43. Babies and Christmases

**Hey! I'm really pleased with this chapter, but it isn't exactly what I thought it was going to be when I started it, but I still really like it, and hope you guys do to. So, enjoy _Babies and Christmases_:**

Being married was a weird feeling to explain. I guess you could say it was like being engaged...but different. I mean, sure, I was still going to work at the bank and she was still going to healer training (she was in her third and final year of healer training, after which she'd have one year assisting another healer before she would be a healer on her own), and we were still going to Weasley Sunday dinners, she still saw Scorpius, Rose, Al, and Anabel almost every day and I still saw Steven, Em, Daniel, and Robert all the time, but it was _totally_ different. I guess you could say it was the little things, but we'd always done the little things, like if I picked up flowers or some of her favorite French macarons for her on my way home, or when she made my absolute favorite dish when I'd had a bad day...I really couldn't say what it was that made all this different once we were married, but it definitely was. I could never explain the feeling, but one time when I was talking to Steven about it shortly after we got married he told me that he understood _exactly_ what I had meant...

She was really busy helping Rose plan the wedding, because she was, of course, the Maid of Honor. The wedding was set for September 30, not the one directly following our wedding, but the one a year later, but the year and four months between our wedding and theirs didn't give Rose any reason to relax. She wanted everything to be _perfect_, so Clarice spent a lot of time at Rose and Scorpius' place making that happen.

As November turned into December we went to Susan's first birthday party, and I had to admit that the idea of kids was now at the forefront of my mind whenever I saw little Susan. I had known for a long while that I wanted children, and Clarice wanted the same, but I wasn't sure if we were quite ready. We'd only been married seven months as early December rolled in, but I knew that if we weren't ready now, we would be, eventually.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUSAN!" everyone cheered as we brought out the cake. She giggled and reached directly into it.

"No, sweetie!" Em cried, trying to pull the cake away, but Steven stopped her. He really was a softy when it came to his daughter.

"Aw, let her play," he said, cutting a piece out of the non-crushed side of the cake and giving it to Em, "It's her birthday..."

Steven managed to cut out just enough pieces to get one for everyone there, me, Clarice, Em, himself, Daniel (now girl-friendless once more), Robert, Steven's parents, and Em's parents.

I was tucking into my cake and talking to Daniel as we both watched Susan, who was eating the remaining part of the cake with her hands, smearing frosting all over her face and dress. I smiled fondly at her. She really was a sweet child, and being a godfather was nice practice. It also meant I got to spoil her in ways Steven and Em couldn't. I looked around and saw Clarice was helping Em with Susan, and the tender way in which she dealt with the baby was endearing, and also a side of her that I only saw when we were babysitting Susan. I finally understood what she'd meant when she'd said that maternity suited Em because it certainly suited her...

* * *

Christmas was a magical holiday, and I mean that in a completely non-cheesy way. Christmas was a special time for me and Clarice because it had been three years since we became a couple on Christmas day during her seventh year, so it was our holiday. We went over to the Burrow as usual, and _everyone _was there. All of my aunts and uncles and cousins, plus Grandma and Grandpa and Mum and Dad, plus Scorpius, Anabel, who was now engaged to Al, Aunt Hannah, Uncle Neville, Vic, Teddy, and their son Peter, who was going on seven, as well as Dom's boyfriend, Roxanne's boyfriend, and Louis' girlfriend. It was weird not having Aunt Luna there, but after everything that happened with Lorcan and Lysander I was glad not to see them. The entire holiday went off rather well, or as well as a holiday can go off with thirty-five people in the house. No one walked out, so that made it a good holiday in and of itself, because in a family so large it isn't uncommon for one or more major fights to happen on major holidays.

We were, all of us, miraculously, sitting in the living room, which had again been extended. Because of all the money that the family had gotten after the war, I guess you could say _from_ the war, Grandma and Grandpa had been able to extend the house so many times that the living room was now the size of a small atrium. Amazingly enough, though, Grandma and Grandpa still made it seem cozy, maybe because whenever I saw it it was always _so_ full. I supposed that when it was empty it was probably rather lonely. But, then again, it was never just Grandma and Grandpa in the house, because some child or grandchild was always visiting, or Grandma had Peter, or something like that.

"Who's up for a game of chess?" Uncle Ron was asking, and nearly everyone in the room rolled their eyes. Uncle Ron _loved_ playing chess simply because he never lost. Dad obliged, probably hoping he could win, the fool...

"So, Roxie," I said, sitting down next to my 19 year old cousin and ruffling her hair. I had to admit, I was being annoying deliberately. She was sitting on the couch next to her boyfriend, Tom, who she'd started dating for a little over a year, and they'd been talking in low voices, "How's life? I bet this Christmas is looking a lot better than last year, huh Tom?" I smirked. Last Christmas Roxie had brought Tom home for the first time to meet the family for the first time (they'd only been dating a few months then), and, let's just say he wasn't too popular at first, and leave it at that...

"Yes it is, thank you," he said haughtily.

"Now, is there anything you want James, or are you just here to be a waste of space?" said Roxie, scowling at me.

"Ouch," I said, "_Someone's_ not in a very good mood."

"Well, why don't you go be with your wife?" she asked, "At least she can stand you and your snide comments for longer than ten minutes."

"No can do," I said, totally unabashed. Roxie was the joker of the family, and who could expect anything different as Uncle George and Aunt Angelina's kid? I knew she was kidding and she knew I was kidding, so at the end of the day there were no hard feelings between us. She and Fred always sort of admired me, I thought. I mean, the writing on the walls of the Great Hall were _still_ there after almost four years..."She's in wedding land with Rose and Anabel. Honestly, they're _always_ talking about one wedding or the other if they get within a three mile radius of eachother. It's ridiculous..."

"You didn't seem to think so when it was _your_ wedding," said Roxie.

I rolled my eyes, "_Totally_ different. That was-"

"James, dear!" called Grandma Molly from where she was sitting, knitting next to the wireless, where I was sure some old Celestina Warbeck song coming out. Celestina hadn't been popular _ever_, and she definitely wasn't alive anymore, yet every year Grandma managed to find a radio station that played her Christmas 'hits'. However, it was impossible to hear the radio over the din of everyone talking when it was on the other side of the room, thank God.

"I gotta go," I said, "Duty calls!"

"Finally," said Tom, turning to Roxie and saying, knowing full well I was in earshot as I got up, "I thought he'd _never _leave!"

"Ha ha" I said sarcastically before walking over to Grandma.

"Happy Christmas, dear," she said, smiling fondly at me and gesturing me to sit down next to her.

"Happy Christmas," I said, taking the seat, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, I haven't talked to you in a while dear, and I was wondering, any chance of a great-grandchild from you?" Wow Grandma, real subtle.

I blushed. I really couldn't help it and I _hated_ blushing. It was something I hardly ever did, because I hardly ever had anything to feel embarrassed about, but I was embarrassed now, and could anyone blame me?

"Um," I said, "Well, Clarice and I are just talking things as they come, you know..." Awkward, much?

"Oh well..." she sighed, glancing at her knitting, "Than I guess a baby blanket is sort of a waste of my time, now isn't it?"

I stared at her, my mouth open. Baby blanket? Oh God. Then again, my family had always been a strange species...

* * *

A few days after the new year I woke up to the sound of retching from the bathroom.

"Clarice?" I called, getting out of bed and walking quickly into the bathroom. She was leaning over the toilet, vomiting into the basin. I rushed to hold back her hair and said, "What's wrong? Does your stomach hurt? Are you feeling sick?"

"No," she said, crossly, turning around, "I'm just vomiting into the toilet for no reason! Really James..." she would've said more, but she had to put her head back over the basin. I had to admit they had been stupid questions, but still, she didn't normally have much of a temper. She must have been _really_ sick...

After a few minutes Clarice felt well enough to make a cup of tea for herself.

"Well," she said, getting up from the table as she finished, "I'm off to get dressed."

"Dressed?" I nearly shouted, "You're not thinking of going to training, are you? No. Absolutely not. I'm owling right now to say your sick and you're going to bed. You should probably make yourself a potion for your stomach too. I would make it for you, but I never took N.E.W.T. potions, and I _really_ don't want to poison you..."

"James," she was rolling her eyes at me, "I'm _fine_, and I don't wanna miss training because-"

"Missing a day won't kill you," I interrupted, "So _please_ stay home." I gave her a look.

She gave a monumental sigh and said, "_Fine_. Where's Lynx? I need to owl my instructor..."

"Good," I said with a smile, "Now, unlike you, I don't have a good reason to miss work, so I've gotta go. Love you," I gave her a kiss and then disapperated.

* * *

When I got home that evening there was lasagna already on the table, complete with garlic bread and salads, and she had the whole table set.

"Feeling better?" I asked as I walked in. She looked great, more than great really. She was almost glowing. Apparently the potion had done her some good.

"Yes," she said, sitting down across from me.

"You really shouldn't have made dinner if you were sick," I said, "You were supposed to be _resting_."

"I feel fine...more than fine. I'm excellent," she beamed.

"Well, no one would've guessed that this morning. You _sure_ you're not really sick?"

"No," she said, "I'm perfectly normal. I went to St. Mungo's today-"

"You didn't go to work, did you?" I asked, probably more accusingly than I need to.

"_No_," she said pointedly, "I went to make sure I was okay."

"Oh," I said, glad she was finally taking care of herself properly, "And?"

"James, I'm pregnant," she said.

My world totally stopped. Within a millisecond my entire life change, the whole world rearranged itself, and suddenly it was as if gravity had shifted, and the most important thing on this planet was nestled inside Clarice, growing. In the space of no more than a second my entire world view changed and everything I'd become accustomed to was irrelevant, because _this_, this miracle, this child, half me, half Clarice, was now one of the most important things on the planet.

The clang that was my fork hitting my plate after I dropped it awoke me to my surroundings and I was up and around to Clarice's side of the table, faster than I would've thought possible, and hugging her.

"This is brilliant!" I said, surprised at myself for being capable of words at that point. "How long?"

"Three weeks," she said, "The healer said it was a bit early for morning sickness to start, but not extremely uncommon. The baby's due in mid-September. Oh, I hope I deliver on time," she began to fret, "I don't want to be pregnant in all of Rose and Scorpius' wedding photos..."

I laughed, "You would worry about that," I said, placing my hand lightly on her stomach.

"You won't be able to feel anything yet!" she said, "I doubt that there's even a bump. Most women don't feel kicks until their sixteenth week or later, and you won't be able to feel it on the outside until after that even."

"But I wanna feel it _now_," I said, my impatience getting the better of me. I wasn't sure how I was gonna wait _weeks_.

"You sound even whinier than he's gonna be," she said with a laugh.

"Who said anything about a 'he'?" I asked, "It could be a baby girl you know."

"Yes," she said, "But I like the idea of a little miniature you..."

"Yeah, you like it almost as much as I like the idea of a little miniature _you_," I said.

She smiled and glanced down at her stomach, and I glanced down too. It was unbelievably perfect.

**I have to admit, this chapter started in one place and ended somewhere _totally_ different than I thought it would, but I'm still happy with it. Let me know what you think!**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	44. Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

**I'm really proud about how quickly I got this update out, but I was just feeling _really_ inspired for this chapter. Enjoy!**

It didn't take me long to realize that pregnancy was _not_ all fun and games. Clarice's morning sickness continued, and, the first fallacy we encountered was the fact that it doesn't just happen in the morning. Apparently it can happen at any time during the day, and she just had to suck it up and deal with it, cause, get this, apparently, normal potions won't have any effect on morning sickness, it'll just go and pass as it pleases, and pregnant women can't take too many potions because everything they eat goes to the baby, so they have to not only avoid alcohol, but also any type of strong potions. Next fallacy about pregnancy: food cravings don't start until after morning sickness stops. They do. And it sucks.

One night, when she was about three months pregnant, Clarice woke up at 3:00 AM and ran to the bathroom where she emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet. I got up to make sure she was okay, and she turns to me, with a totally straight face, and says, "James, we're out of mint chocolate chip ice cream, would you run out at get some?"

"What?" I sputtered, staring blankly at her.

"I _need_ some mint chocolate ice cream. _Please_ James?"

And how could I refuse her when she was looking at me like that and _pregnant_, for Christ's sake! I just felt terrible. So, I throw on jeans and a tee shirt and go out and get the ice cream, and I come back and she eats the entire pint! I'd never seen her eat so much ice cream _ever_. Then she just got back in bed like it was a totally normal thing to do, eating ice cream at three in the morning, and she falls back asleep. And that was only the first time that something like that happened!

Still, despite the fact that it was pretty bad for me, dealing with her when she was irritable or sick or waking up in the middle of the night to get the most random foods, I knew it was probably a thousand times worse for her...Even so, we were still _so_ indescribably excited about the baby. We refused to be like Steven and Em in terms of names, so we both decided to bet on a sex and pick the name for that sex, with the other one's approval, obviously, and then whichever sex it was the name would already be selected.

Clarice was determined to have a boy, but I was just as equally determined to have a girl, though we'd both be endlessly happy with either.

One evening in the middle of her fourth month we were sitting in the living room discussing names.

"I've come up with my name," she announced triumphantly. She was doing the boy name, and had been very secret about what names she was considering.

"Well?" I asked, looking up from my book.

"Tristan James Potter," she said, looking at me expectantly.

I contemplated the name for a moment. It was classy, it gave him options, because he could chose to go by James or Tristan, it sounded great, and my ego rather liked the idea of having my name in there.

"It's perfect," I said, kissing her lightly, "Now, you wanna hear my name?" I'd come up with my name a while ago, but I hadn't wanted to share it with her until she'd gotten her name sorted, which irritated her to no end, I might add.

"No need," she said, rubbing small circles on her growing stomach absentmindedly, "This baby's a boy, so I don't really need to hear your name."

I scowled, "Well, _she_ is very insulted to hear you say that, aren't you princess?" I addressed the last question to her stomach.

She laughed, "Okay, tell me!"

"Madeline Clarice Potter, but we'd call her Maddie."

"Maddie," she whispered, as if getting the feel for the name. I watched her face carefully, hoping to have gained approval, because I was rather fond of the name. She smiled, "It's perfect." I smiled, but then she sighed, and I grew worried, "It's a shame we won't get to use it though..."

I scowled at her, "Hmph, yes we will!"

"We'll see," she said with a mischievous smile, still rubbing small circles around her belly.

* * *

"Hey Susan," I said, picking up my baby goddaughter after I arrived at Steven and Em's place. I'd been coming there a lot since I found out that Clarice was pregnant to get a bit of practice with Susan, and to talk to Steven, because I had a _lot_ of worries. Clarice and I hadn't even been married a year and we were expecting a baby...it was so soon, sooner than either of us had expected. We were both obviously thrilled, but it was still a terrifying idea.

"What, do we not matter anymore?" asked Steven as I took Susan out of his arms.

"She's cuter," I said simply.

"What's up?" asked Em, who was, get this, knitting. I'd never have pinned Em as a knitter, but she said it gave her something to do with her hands when she was at home. She preferred to do it the muggle way after Steven's mum gave her a book on it for her birthday. She said it relaxed her, which I found funny, because she would concentrate so hard on it, and if she messed up she would take it out on everyone present, even if they had had _nothing _to do with it. That had been especially true when she was pregnant...

"Nothing much," I said, flopping down on the sofa, "Did I ever tell you that we chose a name?"

"You _what_?" asked Steven incredulously, "Already? How did you manage that? How many names were on the notepad, two? I never saw you guys working on it!"

"That would've have been two more than you guys ever managed," I bit back, "And besides, we didn't need a notepad. _We_, unlike _you_, managed to pick a name without irritating eachother and everyone within a three mile radius of us."

Steven harrumphed as Em said, "Oh shut up. We ended up with a beautiful name. What's yours?"

"Tristan James for a boy," I started.

"I wonder who came up with that..." muttered Steven sarcastically.

I scowled at him, "Clarice did, you dolt, now shut it!"

"And for a girl?" asked Em, who was ignoring our antics, as she usually did. She claimed that Steven was only immature when _I_ was around, which I found hard to believe, but then again, there was no real way for me to find out...

"Madeline Clarice."

"Those are pretty," said Em pensively, "I liked Tristan James better; I'm not sure how I feel about Madeline Clarice..."

I glared at her, personally offended that she'd rejected my name, "We'd call her Maddie," I added, to clear up any confusion and show her exactly how great the name was.

"Maddie Potter?" she said, "Nah, I don't like it. You better hope that baby's a boy."

"Oh shut up," I said, "I picked that name and Clarice liked it!"

"Wow, she must _really_ be sure it's gonna be a boy if she's letting you pick _that_," said Steven.

I scowled at him, "You're just jealous that we came up with two beautiful names without killing eachother."

"Suuuuuuuuuuuure," he said, turning back to his work. He was writing up a case report for the auror office. They have to do that after _every_ case so that everything's on file..._so_ much more work than I ever wanted to do. Once we curse-breakers are home we're _done_ working.

I stayed at Steven and Em's for a while, but went home at about 6:00 to help with dinner. I'm rubbish at cooking, mind you, but I set the table, bring everything out and everything, and then after dinner I clear the table. It's only fair, cause Clarice does all the cooking.

When I got home I saw the back of Clarice's and Rose's head on the couch facing the big window and the city. They didn't hear me come in, so I drifted into the kitchen to see if Clarice had started dinner. She hadn't.

"So," Rose was saying, "Are you gonna tell him?"

"Well," Clarice said, and I could tell by her tone of voice that she had a smirk on her face, "I think I'll wait and see if he figures it out. He's been _dying _for it to happen." I furrowed by eyebrows in concentration. I know eavesdropping is wrong, but I couldn't help it...Were they talking about me? What had I been waiting for? And if they _weren't_ talking about me, then who were they talking about?

"What's it like being pregnant? I mean, I get that morning sickness sucked, but you've finished with that, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Clarice replied, "I'm passed that stage now, thank God. That was miserable, but even during that I loved being pregnant."

I could tell Rose was making a face by her tone of voice, "Ugh...I don't see how."

"It's like having a little bit of James with me all the time," she sighed, "It's wonderful..." It's official. My heart melted. God, I really was a sap...

"Ugh, gross!" said Rose, "That's terrible!" I felt mildly offended, but I was still reflecting over Clarice's comment, so I didn't mind too much.

"That's because he's your cousin. Carrying a bit of Scorpius around sounds repulsive to me, but I'm sure _you_ would like too," said Clarice, sounding self-satisfied.

They sat reflecting, and I decided it'd be best to reveal my presence now before they discovered me. Clarice was getting a bit more of a temper since she became pregnant, and I didn't feel like getting shouted at this evening.

"Hey guys, what's up?" I asked, pretending I'd just come in, and closing the front door loudly.

They both turned around and looked at me.

"Hi James!" said Rose, while Clarice said "How were Steven, Em, and Susan?"

"They were good," I said, "And hello to you too Rose. Where's Scorpius?"

"What, just because we're engaged we now have to do everything together?" she asked, eyebrow raised, "Cause I don't see you and Clarice attached at the hip!"

"Sheesh," I said, rolling my eyes, "_Someone's_ a little high-strung."

"Oh shut up," said Rose, before turning to Clarice and saying, "I've gotta go. Scorpius is out with Al, but we're going out tonight, and I've got to get ready."

"See you," she said as Rose stood up, stuck her tongue out at me, which I didn't think was very mature at all, and left, closing the front door with a bang.

"So, how was your afternoon?" I asked, taking Rose's abandoned seat on the couch.

"Good. We went to Diagon Alley and looked at a few cribs and things. I think we should paint the nursery bright yellow. It's gender neutral, and it's a bright, happy color, so it should keep the baby's mood up."

"Whatever you want," I said, before wincing slightly. I had learned during wedding planning that anything I didn't care too much about I still had to appear invested in, because Clarice never just wanted to hear that I wanted whatever she wanted, which I found pretty ridiculous, because we both knew that she cared much more, had probably done more research on the subject of a proper nursery color, and was infinitely more qualified to make this decision, considering I'm rubbish at interior decorating (I let Clarice do our whole house). Plus, we both knew I'd love whatever she picked, and we both knew that she'd probably try to convince me out of whatever my opinion was, if it happened to differ from hers, and in trying to convince me she'd use all of the arguments I've just set forth. Knowing all this, however, she still _hates_ it when I say that, and being pregnant made her moods a lot more fierce, varying, and vicious.

"Oh James, can you at least _try_ to pretend that you're interested in our baby!" she snapped, glaring at me, as I _knew_ she would.

"But I _am_ interested," I placated, trying to stem the flow of her anger with flattery, "I'm so invested in this decision and I'm so anxious that we chose the right color that I want you to pick, regardless of what I might want, because I know that you'll pick a better, more appropriate color than I'd ever think of. I mean, I would _never_ have thought of yellow, I would've picked something like green or some other color that's rubbish for a nursery, so it's better if you just pick."

The only good thing about Clarice's mood swings was that she could become happy again just as quickly as she could get angry, and this was no exception. She laughed and said, "I'm not stupid James!" before picking up a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ and flipping through it.

As she read I picked up the copy of _Quiditch Weekly_ that we'd received that morning. I nearly gagged. Daniel's picture was on the front cover with the title _Puddlemere United's Star Keeper is Voted #1 Eligible Bachelor This Year_. I gaped at the cover and quickly flipped to the story. It wasn't much a story at all, really, just a list of the top ten, and then a profile of each of the top five. I knew this was gonna go straight to Daniel's head.

I rolled my eyes and threw the magazine aside in disgust, and instead turned to Clarice, who was still absorbed in her paper. She was rubbing small circles on her belly, a habit that she'd developed over the past four months, and I put my hand on her belly too, mildly hoping to feel a kick finally, though I knew there was little chance of that. Therefore, when I felt a light something just under my hand I jumped about a mile.

She laughed, and I gaped, "Did she just-Was that-?"

"A kick?" she said, still laughing, "Yes, it was. They started earlier this afternoon. I was wondering when you'd notice."

"That's brilliant," I whispered, putting my hand back to her stomach and waiting for the next one. It was an enlightening experience, feeling the baby kick. I mean, I knew that she was pregnant, and I fully grasped the idea, and her expanding belly pointed to that, but the idea of a living, breathing baby nestled in her stomach hadn't seemed truly _real_ until that moment. Definite proof that our baby was there, growing inside of her. I mean, I'd felt a baby kick before, when Em was pregnant, but it hadn't seemed like that big of a deal then, and I'd wondered why Steven and Em got so excited about it, but now I was just ecstatic.

"It is brilliant," she said, leaning back and closing her eyes, resting her hands on her stomach. "And I can feel it from the inside too..." She was smiling to herself, and for a brief moment I envied her. I don't mean that I wanted to be a woman or anything, but she was already so connected to our child, and she wasn't even born yet...still, I didn't envy all the mood swings and food cravings, so I guess it was a fair trade off.

"Do you know what I _really_ want," she said suddenly, her eyes snapping open, "I _really_ want some oranges. James, would you _please_ run out and get some?"

I had to resist the urge to groan.

**I _really _enjoyed writing this chapter, I guess I just find pregnancy fun, so drop me a review with your thoughts.**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	45. Wedding Shenanigans

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, but what with the holidays and everything I haven't had much time to write, and I was debating dividing this chapter into two chapters (which I eventually did). The next half might take a while as well because I'm going into exams, but just know I'm not abandoning you. Happy New Year and enjoy!**

"_Please _let me back in, Clarice!" I was standing outside of my own bedroom door, which was locked, at two in the morning, and my wand was on the other side with my angry, eight-month pregnant wife. "I have the potato chips!"

"No, it's _fine_, it's _obviously_ too much a hassle for you to get them, you really shouldn't have. I mean _you_ aren't carrying around an extra thirty pounds all day every day. _You_ don't have sore feet and an aching back! But, obviously, _you_ were too _tired_ to get up and bring your poor, _pregnant_ wife the potato chips!" her voice was ringing with scorn and sarcasm. I wanted to hit something.

So I was tired? I still got up and got her what she bloody wanted! Why was she being so difficult? Oh yeah, because she was _pregnant_! I swear, pregnancy is just a free pass for women to act on their mood swings...

"Fine," I muttered, before turning away. I'd almost made it to the living room when I turned back and set the chips by the door. I knew she wanted them, she was just too stubborn to admit it. Then I went and slept on the couch. Ugh.

When I woke up Clarice was, of course, apologetic and horrified and all that, but it didn't really make up for the ache I had in my back all day. I couldn't complain to _her_ about it, obviously, cause she'd assail me with a twenty minute speech about the pains in her feet and back and everything, but I did complain to Steven and Em about it later. If I had to suffer through Em's pregnancy than they had to suffer through this at least through my complaining.

* * *

As Clarice's due date, September 20, got closer we both got more on edge, but only in small ways. Like, if she was even ten minutes later than usual from work I started freaking out about how she could've gone into labor, and little stuff like that. Mostly, we were just excited.

On September 20 we were both so tense it was unbearable, but as the evening drew to a close there was just more of what there had been all day. Nothing.

"Do you suppose something's wrong?" I asked as I cleared the table while Clarice rested, her eyes closed, in an arm chair. Her back was hurting her more and more lately because the baby was so heavy.

"No," she said calmly, "Even with magic we can't be exact on due dates and things of that sort because using magic to detect those types of things could hurt the baby, so they can't be too exact, which is of course why we can't find out the sex. It'll probably be in a few days..."

We sat in silence for a moment before her eyes snapped open in pure panic.

"What's wrong?" I asked, urgently, dropping a plate on the floor, "Are you going into labor?"

"No," she said impatiently, "Now pick up that plate!" I did as she asked because I really didn't want a mood swing.

"What is it then?" I asked as I waved my wand and the plate repaired itself and flew into the sink.

"I just realized that I have to have the baby in ten days! That doesn't give me much room for flexibility!"

"Ten days?" I asked, "Why ten days? It doesn't _have_ to be born in September, you know."

"No, you idiot," she snapped, "Rose and Scorpius' wedding's in ten days! How would I look in that dress pregnant? The maid of honor looking like a whale in all the photos! I'd never live it down!"

"It wouldn't be so bad..." I said, fully aware that my words would have no effect on her.

"Yes it will! She picked out the bridesmaid dresses before we found out I was pregnant, and we were all so relieved when I was due before the wedding, because changing them woudl've involved changing the whole color scheme of the wedding! They're pretty, but not on a pregnant person! It'd be like a giant arrow pointing to me saying 'Look at the pregnant whale!' They're strapless and gold and belted and sparkly and _vile_!" I decided it would be against my better judgment to mention that she actually _liked_ the dresses, so I kept quite.

She fretted for a few more minutes before heading to bed in a huff. I _really_ hoped the baby was born _before_ the wedding, for all our sakes...

* * *

However, September 30 dawned bright and early with a thoroughly pregnant Clarice running around trying to fix minor problems in the proceedings. She was Rose's maid of honor, while Anabel (Al's fiancee now) and Lily were the other two bridesmaids. I wasn't in the wedding, so I was left with almost nothing to do but wait by my self, as Clarice was up and out of the house at the crack of dawn to help Rose get ready.

When I arrived I caught literally a glimpse of her as she rushed to sort out the flowers, and all I managed to get out of my mouth was a request for her to at least sit down so that she didn't go into labor during the ceremony due to exhaustion, but she merely gave me a scathing look for daring to think that the flowers weren't equally as important as our child.

The wedding was beautiful, obviously, I mean, Rose just about killed herself to make it that way and if it hadn't been absolutely perfect she would've killed someone which _definitely_ would've put a damper on the evening. I was actually enjoying myself once the ceremony was over. I know that sounds terrible, but before the ceremony no one I really knew, except my relatives obviously, was there, and even if my relatives weren't in the wedding, all the girls were running around trying to help and all the boys were hiding from Aunt Hermione and Grandma Molly. Steven and Em obviously weren't there, and neither were Daniel or Robert. Meanwhile, I was worrying because Lorcan Scamander was one of Scorpius' groomsmen and Lily was one of the bridesmaids, and they were broken up, obviously, since our wedding, and I was afraid Lily would lose her temper or something.

However, after the ceremony everything calmed down, and I actually got to really enjoy myself. There was champagne (bubbling juice for Clarice) and diner and dancing.

Late into the evening I was dancing with Clarice, but I was afraid that she would get tired so I thought I'd ask, obviously taking a great risk, because if a mood swing caught her the wrong way she'd blow up at me for making assumptions.

"How's Mommy?" I asked cautiously. Inserting her maternity into the question always calmed her down before she could think about getting moody or angry.

"Mommy's fine, a little tired but okay."

"You wanna sit down?" I asked. I _really_ thought it was a bad idea for her to be on her feet too long when she was _this_ pregnant.

"Sure," she said, and I was relieved that she didn't put up a fight about it.

"And how's Maddie?" I asked.

"_Tristan_" she said with emphasis, "Is just fine."

"I don't think Maddie likes being referred to as a boy," I said as we looked for a table.

"Well Tristan is insulted that you think he's so effeminate."

I spotted a table where Mum and Dad were sitting and we joined them, putting an end to our mock-argument.

After a few minutes of talk about the baby while Mum asked how Clarice was doing, Dad said the _craziest_ thing he's ever said in his life. Seriously.

"You know, you're very nice for a pregnant woman." He literally said that.

I had to contain my snort. He should've seen her in her worst state...

He seemed to sense my skepticism because he said, "No, seriously, some of the mood swings your mum had when she was pregnant..."

"Well, I-" said Clarice, but she broke off, her face stricken, her eyes wide.

"Clarice," I said slowly, looking at her. This could _not_ be happening. Not _now_.

"I-I think my water just broke," she said, her voice very quite.

My jaw was hanging open. I was _so_ not ready for this. Mum took charge and said, "Alright, let's get into the house."

She led Clarice into the house, me and Dad following behind, trying not to draw attention to ourselves. We didn't want to steal the day from Rose and Scorpius.

"Now," I said, my head clearing, "We'll floo to St. Mungo's, and Healer Clearwater will be able to deal with it, and-"

"We can't floo!" Clarice nearly shouted, "Not now that my water's broken. It could hurt the baby!"

I looked at Mum for conformation. Somewhere in the back of my mind that idea rang a bell.

"Damn," she muttered, "I forgot about that...Your dad drove me. If you'd been at home you could've driven.

"What now?" I asked incredulously, "We can't have the baby _here_." I really didn't think having the baby at The Burrow was a good idea, considering that all the relatives would be in and out and frankly, the cramped spaces aren't exactly comfortable for major, life changing health experiences.

"Well, like it or not, the baby's coming," snapped Clarice.

"Alright," said Dad, who, for once, decided to have a plan, "James, you go up to one of the bedrooms, shrink a bed, and bring it down to the living room. I'll clear the furniture in there. Ginny, you floo to St. Mungo's and get the healer. I'm sure they have to do this all the time."

"It's Amy Clearwater," I said urgently. It was _very_ important that she get the right one, partly because Amy Clearwater had been our healer throughout, and also, though I would never admit it, because Em was her assistant healer. It was actually Em's last week as an assistant, and I couldn't help put want a little bit of support.

"Alright," said Mum, and we all dispersed to our separate tasks.

I got Clarice set up, and Mum soon arrived with Em and Amy Clearwater, and they frantically began setting up in the living room. We were all working except Dad, who just kind of stood there.

"Oh, Harry _do_ something," said Mum irritably as she fetched some ice chips from the kitchen.

"Like what?" he asked, defensively in my opinion.

"Get Hannah and Neville," I said from where I was helping Clarice put on the hospital gown that the healer had brought.

"Okay," he said as he walked, really more like ran, out of the room, clearly eager to be away from it all.

"But be discrete!" called Mum after him, "We don't want everyone knowing what's happening. It'd spoil the wedding!"

A few minutes later, Dad came back followed by a _crowd_ of people! It was literally a crowd! Neville and Hannah were at the front, with Rose and Scorpius right behind and Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron not far behind them, with Grandma Molly and Grandpa Arthur, as well as Teddy, Vic, and their six year old son Peter, with Al and Annabel pushing to get in front of them to see what was happening, while Lily, who was near the back cast dirty looks at Lorcan, who'd squeezed his way to the front by Rose and Scorpius, with Roxanne and Fred along with Uncle George and Aunt Angelina at the rear!

"I told you to be discrete!" said Mum, rolling her eyes, "What are all these people doing here?"

"I-it just-," Dad was looking around at the assembled people, as if hoping one of them would defend him. They didn't.

"Well everyone can just clear out," said Mum, "All we need is Hannah, and Mum, you can stay too," she allowed, "But the rest of you, out!"

Everyone started leaving except Rose, who stood, still in her wedding dress, hovering in the doorway as everyone filed out.

However, just as a contraction hit Clarice she said, "Rose please_ go_!"

"But, why?" she asked, "I wanna be here for you, I-"

"When I'm _not_ having a baby I'll be glad to explain it!" If it hadn't been such a serious situation I would've laughed. Rose looked mortified at Clarice's loss of temper, though, to be fair, she was in _labor_.

Aunt Hermione, seeing that Rose was about to argue, took her hand and pulled her out of the room. I mouthed 'Thanks!' at her, not daring to say it aloud in case it angered Rose.

I then turned to where Clarice was lying back, her forehead already covered in sweat, and a wave of guilt and sympathy crashed over me. She looked exhausted already, and it'd barely just started.

It was going to be a _long_ night.

**So, leave me a review and let me know if anyone is actually still reading this...**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	46. A Change in Gravity

**I don't wanna give anything away, so I'll just say enjoy!**

I'd never given much thought to my own personal hell, I mean, do I seem like the time of bloke who'd waste his time on shit like that? But even if I _had_ given any thought to my own personal hell, nothing I could've dreamed up would have even come_ close_ to this. Nothing.

Clarice had been in labor ten hours now, as three in the morning came and went (she went into labor at five o'clock, the wedding ceremony having been at two o'clock), and she was in agony. She was squeezing my hand so tightly that I was sure one of my bones would break, _again_, but I wasn't going to draw my hand away. Even the physical pain I felt in my hand as I heard a crack and realized that Clarice had broken my index finger for the third time was _nothing_ compared to what it felt like every time she screamed. I pulled out my wand with my right hand and flicked it at my left index finger, and felt the bone mend, if it only remained that way for a few minutes.

She screamed again, her face contorted, her eyes shut tight, sweat running down her brow, and she squeezed my hand even tighter.

Mum, Hannah, and Grandma Molly were busying themselves here and there, fetching ice chips and holding them to Clarice's forehead, or helping the healer in any way they could. They were all, needless to say, pretty experienced with childbirth, which was why the glances of true worry they exchanged every few minutes freaked me out. There was blood everywhere, but wasn't that somewhat normal? I didn't know a ton about labor, but I _did_ know it was messy business.

The healer, Amy Clearwater pulled me aside as Em continued to talk Clarice through breathing, while Mum bathed her forehead with ice chips, Grandma Molly wiped some of the sweat from her face and neck, and Hannah held her hand.

I looked at the healer apprehensively, and the look on her face didn't exactly reassure me.

"I won't pretend that her situation is not very serious," she said quietly, glancing at Clarice to make sure she didn't hear, "We've given her every potion available that wouldn't hurt the baby and are going to start giving second doses, and we're doing everything else possible, but she's losing blood rapidly. That alone could kill her if this goes on for another four or six hours, and it could easily."

I froze. For a millisecond my head was empty of all thought as I attempted to digest the enormity of that statement. It felt as if every aspect of my life was insignificant, as if my whole life had been hurtling towards this moment and now everything was crashing down around me. This made no sense because Clarice _couldn't_ die...The enormity of the idea was too huge, I couldn't grasp it. And what of our baby? What would happen to it if things didn't go well...

Before I could even attempt to find my voice again Healer Clearwater continued, "Which means, as I'm sure you realize that could have a choice to make." I was beyond any type of response, physical or verbal, but she seemed to understand and continued without encouragement, "The options we would then have that would save the baby would kill her, and the options we'd have to save her would kill the baby."

I was past any type of normal brain function. Couldn't they just kill me instead? I would've died gladly rather than have to make this decision Who asks a man to make a choice like that? Had I been too happy? Had everything in my life been too wonderful? Was that why I had to make the choice, chose which wonderful, amazing gift my life had given me to give up? It wasn't like at the beginning, when the baby wasn't even there, then the choice would've been almost easy, but in the past nine months our child had become a living, breathing _person_. I'd felt it move daily under Clarice's skin, I'd seen its moods surface through hers, and I loved it. I felt a surge of parental responsibility for our child, and I _couldn't _chose to let it die. But Clarice, my Clarice...This had to be her choice too, but I couldn't bear the idea of asking her, because that would involve speaking the words aloud, which would make the idea possible, make the possibility _real_, and this _couldn't_ be real.

Before I'd made any decision about anything Clarice called to me from where she lay a few feet away, panting, "James!"

I went to her immediately, taking her hand from Hannah, who pulled away, taking Mum and Grandma Molly with her to give us a moment of privacy as Em went to go fetch something.

"James," she repeated, her voice hoarse from screaming and exhaustion. It pained me to see her this way, "If you have to pick..." she began between deep breaths. I froze. Had she heard or did she just _know_?

"Clarice, no one's going to have to pick," I interrupted stupidly. I knew deep within myself that it _was_ a very real possibility, but I didn't want to admit it consciously.\

She shook her head weakly, squeezing my hand tightly, urgency in her eyes, "You have to pick him. He's more important. So much more important. And you have to take care of him. Tell him about me, about us. I know you can do this."

She gave what looked like the shadow of a smile. I wanted to break down and sob, but I wouldn't. I would be there for her, be strong for her, show just a small fraction of the strength she was showing. Her words cut through me like a knife. There wasn't a guarantee that she would die, there _couldn't_ be, but she seemed to have accepted the idea almost peacefully. The idea tortured me.

I nodded, before whispering, "I love you."

"I love you too," she said, still with the pathetic, shadow of a smile in place, but it seemed genuine, however strained it was.

I gave Hannah her hand again as Mum started coaching her through breathing and Grandma Molly took back over with the ice chips. I walked over to Healer Clearwater, who was looking through the documents of Clarice's pregnancy with a frantic look in her eyes.

I swallowed, but said the words that needed to be said, no matter what they cost me, "Please, do everything you can..." I choked, "But if the time comes to pick," I took another deep breath to stop a sob from escaping me, "Save the baby."

She nodded, before setting the papers down and returning to the bedside with another potion in hand.

I was trying to maintain my rapidly slipping composure when Em walked up to me and, without a word, hugged me tightly. And for one brief moment I let myself break down. I cried so hard that I was shaking, but I made sure not to utter a sound, so that Clarice, who was screaming again, would not notice. I needed to be her rock, but I needed Em to be mine. I'd never needed my best friend more than I did in that moment. Just as I felt that I would waste away with the agony of it all, Em had been there, and never would I be able to articulate in words just how much that meant to me, but she knew. Steven couldn't be there to help me, my mum couldn't be there to support me, and I needed to support Clarice, now more than ever, but Em was there for one moment, and I could be weak.

As I pulled away I dried my eyes and whispered, "Em, I can't do this. I can't do this alone." It was my greatest fear, bare and exposed in front of her. I wouldn't know how to pick of the pieces of my life without Clarice, and I _certainly_ wouldn't know how to be a father to this child who might never know its mother.

"Just because Clarice might not make it doesn't mean you'll be alone," she said, squeezing my hand, "We, none of us, are going to abandon you."

Never would I be able to speak of that moment as long as I lived, but it meant more than I would ever be able to say.

However, my temporary breakdown had to be just that, temporary, and soon I pulled myself together and returned to Clarice, because just as I needed Em, she needed me, and I was determined to be there until the last moment.

I felt as if time no longer existed, not _really_. I mean, I saw as three o'clock turned into four o'clock, and five o'clock turn into six o'clock, but I seemed to be existing in a moment outside of time, unchanging and unmoving. It wasn't until I heard it, the sound that changed my life, that time started to move again. After nearly fourteen hours of labor, at six forty-nine on the morning on October first a baby cry pierced through the crisp morning air at The Burrow.

As Healer Clearwater lifted the baby into the air with a smile, clipped the umbilical cord, and handed him to Em to be cleaned up I felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders as my whole frame relaxed. Clarice, who looked nearly dead from exhaustion was beaming as she whispered, "He's beautiful..."

And he was. As the healer gave Clarice four different potions that she hadn't been able to give her while the baby was still attached via the umbilical chord I watched as Em cleaned up my son. My son. The words reverberated around my nearly empty head. The enormity of it all, the magnificence of it all, the _magic_ of it all was indescribable. I used to think that the type of magic we made with our wands was extraordinary, but it was _nothing_ compared to this.

I sat on the edge of Clarice's bed, careful not to jostle her too much, as Em handed her the baby.

Clarice was still beaming as she looked at me, her eyes shining, and I could see my reflection in her deep chocolate eyes. My eyes were shining right back at her.

"Tristan James Potter," she whispered, resting her head on the pillows and regarding him as he looked around at us. I no longer cared about our silly bet, because Tristan was more beautiful and wonderful than anything I could've imagined.

He was so fragile, so small and dependent, and I suddenly felt as if gravity had shifted and suddenly I was responsible for him first and foremost, and I would've done anything, sacrificed anything to keep him safe and well. It was a suffocating feeling, but in a good way.

"He's perfect," I whispered, because I felt to speak any louder would somehow ruin this moment. "You were...amazing. So brave..." I trailed off, not really knowing how to articulate the awe she'd inspired in me and the respect I felt for the bravery she'd shown that night, but she seemed to know just the same.

"He already looks like you," she said, fingering the tiny tuft of black hair he had, "Your hair and your chin."

"But your eyes. Those are your chocolate eyes." I said, gazing at him in wonder. "And your nose."

As the rest of the family came in to visit with us and offered their congratulations I felt as if I was moving in a dreamlike state, because all I could really focus on was the tiny bundle. Tristan James Potter. My son.

**This was a really emotional chapter for me to write because it is the last chapter. I'm going to have an epilogue, so expect that sometime in the future, but maybe not _too_ quick, because, like I said, I've got exams coming up soon and writing is going to have to shift to the back burner for a while. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and keep a look out for the epilogue, because I promise, it's coming. Reviews, as always, are appreciated.**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


	47. What Kind of Man You Become

**So here's the last chapter and the official end of my trilogy. This was a really hard one for me to write because it really means the end, and I've spent so much time in creating this world of second-generation characters that I'm now finished with. I'm really pleased with this chapter, though. Enjoy!**

Clarice was tapping her foot impatiently, before yelling up the stairs, "Andrew! Get down here _now_! Everyone else is already here and if you _think_ your brother's gonna miss the train because of you, you've got another thing coming!"

"Daddy, why do _we_ have to go? We don't get to go to Hogwarts this year so why do we have to go with Tristan." My adorable five year old looked just like Clarice, complete with auburn hair and deep chocolate eyes, and was wearing her most convincing pout.

"Yeah!" said Katie, my three year old whom I was carrying. She gave a pout as well, her bright Weasley-red hair falling in front of her eyes, also deep chocolate, which had grown wide. My three year old was just as bold as me and just as good at getting what she wanted, "Me and Maddie can stay home!"

"Oh, and who would stay home with you?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Andrew!" Maddie said promptly. She was the Ravenclaw type, very logical (or at least as logical as a five year old can get).

"Oh yeah,_ that'll _work," I said, rolling my eyes, "He can't even get down here on time. ANDREW!" I called up the stairs because I could see Clarice's patience wearing thin, while Tristan looked ready to go upstairs and drag Andrew down by force. I had no doubt he would do it too.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" And my nine year old came down the stairs, muttering something under his breath and closing his book. For a kid who looked just like me, and he _did_, same hair, same eyes, same chin, same nose, he was more like Clarice in personality, and I knew, even then, that he'd be my little Ravenclaw, along with Maddie. Katie and Tristan on the other hand, looked like a blend of Clarice and I, but in personality were very much fiery Griffindors. Katie in particular, even at three years old, was more daring than most eleven year olds. So much so that it almost made me worried, because I had know doubt that she'd try many thing she probably shouldn't when she got to Hogwarts. She reminded me of Rose quite a bit, to be honest. To this day I don't know how Rose ended up in Ravenclaw...

"Will we see Margaret there?" asked Maddie as we walked out the door, Clarice locking it behind us and sending an indulgent smile to Andrew while attempting to scold him, something I knew she wouldn't be capable of doing the moment she saw the book in his hands.

"And Henwy?" asked Katie from my arms, smiling brightly.

"Yes," I said with a smile at Katie's baby lisp, "Uncle Steven and Aunt Em are bringing Margaret, Henry, and Peter too." I called the last part back to Andrew, who's face split into a smile. "They've got to see Susan off."

"Why?" asked Maddie curiously as we all piled into the car, "She's been before!"

I shrugged, "Because they won't see her until Christmas and they'll miss her."

"Oh, so does that mean I don't have to come cause I wont miss Tristan a bit?" I had to hide my smirk at Andrew's comment. He was a pretty clever bloke, my son.

* * *

The ride to King's Cross Station passed smoothly enough, except for a few incidents, like when Tristan stole Andrew's book and made some snide, though admittedly clever, comment, to which Clarice remarked with a smirk that he was more like me than all the other kids put together. I wasn't even insulted by that, I actually felt pretty proud. At least _one_ of the kids turned out funny, smart, clever, _and_ attractive, well, all of them were attractive, but with parents like and Clarice how could they _not_ be?

When we arrived we found Steven and Em immediately, for which I was grateful because Andrew slipped away with Peter and stopped making snide remarks towards Tristan, and Maddie and Katie _finally_ stopped complaining once they had Margaret and Henry to play with.

"Where's Susan?" I asked as Steven and Em walked over.

"She's already run off to see Michael," Steven said with a scowl. I couldn't help but snigger. I hadn't seen Steven more irritated about anything since Em dated back when _we_ were at Hogwarts, but when Susan came home for the summer with news of a new boyfriend he had managed to find at least three different instances every time we saw him to rag on Michael.

"Oh relax," said Em, rolling her eyes at him, "It's _fine_. They're young."

"Yeah, but what if she _marries_ him?" he asked, his eyes wide at this new and terrifying possibility.

"I'm sure that's what Em's parents said about _you_." I couldn't help it, I swear I couldn't. Clarice didn't seem to think so, and hit me lightly on the arm, which I did _not_ appreciate.

"So, is Tristan nervous?" asked Em, more to cut off Steven's retort, I think, than anything else.

"Are you kidding?" asked Clarice with a laugh, "Tristan? He's just strutting around saying how he'll be a Gryffindor and that'll be that. I don't think he's _capable_ of nervousness!"

"We said that about James too," Steven said smugly, payback for my previous remark. I sent him a glare.

"Did you hear?" asked Em, I'm assuming to cut off _my_ retort now, "Daniel was over last week and he told us that Robert was going to propose to Karen."

"Really?" asked Clarice interestedly, but I cut right to the chase.

"About time!"

"Well what was the rush?" asked Em, "I mean, he's only 36 and she's younger, and neither of them wanted kids, thank God, and-"

"Em, that's _horrible_," Clarice said, but Steven and I were laughing.

"You don't know Robert the way we do," said Steven through his laughter. I was laughing too hard to respond. It was _so_ true.

"Robert's been one of my best friends for _years_," said Em, "And I love the guy, but those are _not_ the genes we want passed down to the next generation!"

"He'd make one hell of a dad though," I pointed out, "Those kids would have _loads_ of fun."

"Yeah, when they weren't getting blown up," said Steven, "Believe me, things are better off this way."

We all chuckled appreciatively, even Clarice, who had to accept the truth about Robert and his lack of parenting skills.

"Speaking of Daniel," Clarice said as our laughter subsided, "How is Erin doing? She's now, what, three months along?"

"Yeah," said Em, "And her morning sickness is subsiding, finally," she and Clarice both nodded in sympathy at Daniel's wife's plight, "Of course, she hadn't known what to expect, but now the worst is over until the labor."

"Says who?" I asked, and Steven nodded in agreement. _We_ both knew, though Daniel didn't _yet_, that the worst for him was yet to come. The moods and the nighttime cravings would begin in the next few weeks, and boy was he in for some fun then. I shuddered a little bit remembering all the times I got up at three in the morning only to have Clarice yell at me for getting her the wrong type of apple. Don't get me wrong, I _loved_ each and every one of Clarice's pregnancies, but those moments were definitely _not_ my favorites...

Before either Em or Clarice could respond in reproach and give us a lecture on how they both suffered more during pregnancy than Steven or I could ever _dream_ of suffering, we heard the train whistle. I looked around for Tristan, and saw him chatting with a blond boy on the platform. When they heard the whistle they both lugged their trunks onto the train. We waited for him to come back out to say goodbye, Clarice having collected Andrew, Maddie, and Katie, but he did not come out. Instead he opened a compartment window further down the train, which we all trotted over to.

"Bye guys!" he said, beaming. I noticed the blond boy was sitting in the compartment with him. I smiled.

"Bye sweetie!" Clarice was tearing up. I tried not to roll my eyes, and succeeded. Apparently, after years of effort might I add, my self-restraint was _finally_ improving. Also, I was feeling rather sentimental myself...

"Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" he said, and I could tell he was also trying not to roll his eyes at Clarice. I appreciated the effort.

"Give 'em hell," I said with a smirk, "But don't get caught!"

"James," Clarice hit me on the arm before turning to Tristan and saying, "Be _good_. Do _not_ listen to your father."

The train started pulling away.

"Bye!" he called, "Love you!"

"Love you too!" we both called together.

I smiled as my son was whisked away, off to Hogwarts where he'd really start living.

"I give him a week for his first detention," Steven muttered, having waved at Susan before strolling over to us.

"A week?" I asked, in a mock-insulted attitude, "He can do better than that! I give him three days."

To my surprise Clarice joined in and said, "Three days? No, no, this is _Tristan_ we're talking about. Depending on how mischievous that blond boy he was with is feeling and how merciful Dad's feeling, I think he could have one by the end of the night. If it was _Andrew_," she glanced at Andrew, who was eagerly discussing some book with Peter, both impervious to Em trying to coax Henry and Margaret into putting their coats back on, an effort which involved much whining from the two young children, "I'd say he might make it through the year without one, but _Tristan_ on the other hand..."

I chuckled.

As we walked back to the car, Katie elaborating on what Henry had said while Maddie and Andrew were talking to Clarice about what Ravenclaw was like, I considered the journey my son was making, the same journey I'd made all those years ago. This was really the beginning of the rest of his life. He'll make friends, lose friends, have crushes, find classes he hates and classes he enjoys, get away with things, get caught, find his best friends, and discover what kind of man he will become. After all, that's what I did.

**I hope you all liked the epilogue. I always like to do my epilogues in the same way that J.K. did hers, just because I think of Hogwarts as a never-ending cycle, and every time people leave it more boys and girls come to take their place, but Hogwarts remains constant. Anyway, I've really enjoyed writing this story, and at this point I've become more attached to James Sirius Potter than I have been to any other character I've ever written. I'm taking a break from my usual cast for next-generation fics because I've created a world for them that's so detail specific in these three stories, _When Fate's on Vacation_, _One More Year_, and _The Extremely Eventful Life of James Sirius Potter_ that it's hard for me to think about these characters in next-generation fics without seeing it through this trilogy's lens, which can be pretty limiting. That's not to say I'm taking a break from next-generation fics, though, I'm actually working on one about Teddy Lupin and Victoire Weasley called _Never in a Million Years_. If you wanna see something non-next-generation from me, I've been working on an Oliver Wood/Katie Bell story, but it's kind of been pushed aside to the back burner while I finished this up, but now I'm gonna really start working on it again. So, check out _It Took a While_ if you feel so inclined. So, It's been great having so many people reading this story, and I'd love more than anything if everyone would leave a review and just tell me what they thought of the story overall.**

**XOXO**

**GossipGirlHere  
**


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